


Depression

by Loving_Healer



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Depression, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Heroes of Olympus, HoO - Freeform, Humor, M/M, Mystery, Nico di Angelo - Freeform, PJO, Romantic Fluff, at least i dont think so, every kind of fluff, get rekt, have fun, i cant remember - Freeform, i wrote this like two years ago give me a break, its not actually as sad as the title makes it to be, percy jackson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2018-12-30 17:51:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 66,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12114030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loving_Healer/pseuds/Loving_Healer
Summary: [[Completed]] [[High School AU]] [[Percico]]Percy Jackson and Grover Underwood befriended a boy named Nico di Angelo. But when they have to promote from elementary school and leave Nico alone, they promise to meet each other again in high school. But, what do they find once they find out Nico goes to their school? They didn't seem to find Nico; it was an exact opposite of the Nico they once knew. But, why was he like this?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Unlike "The Violin That Started it All," this whole story is in Percy's POV.

"Percy, is there something wrong?" My best friend, Grover, asked me.

I was on high alert. I felt something wrong was happening around the small elementary school, but I couldn't place what.

"I'm going to go check." I got up from my seat on the swing and raced off without hearing Grover's consent.

I was Percy Jackson: sixth-grader at Yancy Elementary. I had one best friend, which was Grover. I was always teased by this girl named Nancy Bobofit from my class, but I never paid her any attention. I just tried to ignore her as best as I could. Which wasn't my best because I was ADHD, and I really wanted to beat her up and teach her a lesson. If Grover wasn't there with me, then Nancy Bobofit would've been renamed to Nancy Bobo-unfit. She would have been  _really_  unfit after I was done with her.

I sprinted from the swing set and set my destination to a place where none of the upper graders of the elementary school were allowed to go: the lower graders' playground. It was a large, blue playground with three slides about three or four times my size. There were steps leading up to the second floor of the playground, which had the entrance to the three slides and the "get the ball through the maze" game installed into the wall of the playground. There was a smaller slide at the front of the playground, and underneath the playground, there was a fake steering wheel and a fake stick shift. And that was the source of my bad feeling.

There were three kids from another sixth grade class kicked at a boy on the floor. I couldn't really see well from the three bodies that were currently kicked at him and stomping around, but I didn't care. Rage washed over me and before I knew it, I punched the closest guy across the cheek.

He stumbled backward and immediately brought a hand up to his cheek. He glared at me, and his other friends stopped kicking the poor guy that was curled up on the ground. I glared back at them as they all turned to me.

"Well, who are you?" One lean-back sixth-grader said with a cocky grin. I wanted to wipe that cocky grin off of his stupid little face.

"None of your concern," I snapped. "What do you think you're doing to him?" I gestured towards the guy on the ground.

"My mom was too busy going to work, that she forgot to pack my lunch," The cocky guy huffed while crossing his arms over his chest. "So, I decided to take this guy's lunch."

"That doesn't mean you beat him up for it!" I yelled at him, even though I could sense his obvious lie. "Who do you think you are?!"

The cocky guy shrugged. "It's three sixth graders against a scrawny little fourth grader. Who do you think is going to win?"

"I am."

I ran towards the cocky guy and punched him square in the face before he could even react. He staggered backward as well and fell on his bottom.

He gritted his teeth and glared up at me from the ground. "Who do you think you are?!"

"Percy Jackson, who is also a sixth grader," I finally answered before kicking him in the chest.

* * *

After I beat those guys up and they ran away, my attention turned to the boy on the ground. But he was no longer on the ground; he was standing by a tree, staring at me with astonishment.

He had short, black hair and big, dark brown eyes. He had olive-toned skin and he was pretty scrawny. But, he was just a fourth grader, so I shouldn't blame him. He wore navy blue jeans and a plain gray T-shirt. He had a black watch on his wrist which looked really expensive.

I gently smiled and walked up to him and held out my hand. "I'm Percy Jackson, nice to meet you. Do you…want to be friends with me and my other friend?"

He frowned in confusion. I guess it was rare for him to have others show kindness to him.

" _Um_ , I'm Nico. Nico di Angelo," He timidly replied.

I continued to smile at him. "Do you want to be friends with me?"

"Do…do you really want to?" He asked for reassurance, shifting his weight between his feet.

I raised an eyebrow. "'Course I do." I stretched out my hand towards him and cocked my head to the side. "Do  _you_  want to be my friend?"

He smiled brightly at me and nodded. "I really do!"

And he took my hand and our fingers intertwined.

* * *

I brought Nico over to where I ditched Grover—the swing set. He was still there, aimlessly swinging back and forth. He didn't seem to be thinking of anything in particular. He just looked straight ahead in a world full of nothing. As I like to call it, he was zoning out.

"Hey, G-man!" I called over to Grover, startling him out of his world of nothing.

He turned to me and attempted to glare at me, but it didn't work. He always had a light mood to him, so it was almost impossible for him to be angry; especially at me.

"Where'd you go, Perce?!" He exclaimed at me. "Yes, just go right ahead and ditch me. That is absolutely fine!"

I chuckled. I just loved Grover's constant ramblings. "Sorry, dude. I just had this strange feeling, and it turns out that these jerks were beating up Nico."

"Nico?" Grover raised an eyebrow. His gaze finally landed on the olive-skinned boy next to me. "Oh, so  _that's_  Nico." He chuckled in embarrassment and casually shoved his fist into his pocket "I'm Grover, but you can call me G-man if you want. Percy does anyway.

"So, these jerks were just beating Nico up? For what?" Grover asked.

I shrugged. "I have no idea. Nico, do you know?"

Nico rubbed his right forearm. "They wanted my watch."

"Your watch?" Grover raised an eyebrow again. He glanced at Nico's wrist and his eyes widened. "Dude, that is an  _ex-pen-sive_  watch! Where did you get that from?"

"My dad got it for me for my birthday," Nico replied.

"That is some birthday," Grover muttered. "So, are we adding a new addition to our group?"

I laughed. "Two people can't even be considered as a group. But yeah, I want to be friends with Nico. You want to?"

"I'm all in, Perce. But, we need a nickname for him."

Nico knit his eyebrows together. "A…nickname?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Yeah," Grover said, "like how I'm G-man and Percy is Perce. What about…Neeks?" Grover grinned. "Yeah, Neeks will be perfect for you. How about it?"

I nodded and mirrored his grin. "I like it."

Nico gave us a small smile. "It's fine."

"Come on," Grover patted Nico on the shoulder. "You don't have to be so polite, you know. Are we your first friends that you've ever had?"

Nico slightly nodded. "Yes, actually, I've never had friends before."

"Then, I guess this is an honor of being your first friends ever, right, Perce?" He glanced at me.

I nodded. "We better make this friendship with you something special."

* * *

Today it was now promotion day. Grover and I were moving to intermediate school. We made a huge bond with Nico, and both of us didn't want to leave him alone. He didn't have any other friends, and we felt pretty bad for leaving him. But we didn't have much of a choice. We didn't want to stay at elementary school forever until Nico got promoted when he was in sixth grade.

"Man! Why can't Neeks skip grades or something?!" Grover complained after the promotion ceremony was over.

"Well, he  _is_  smart," I pointed out. "But he can't just skip grades, you know."

Grover groaned. "This is  _so_  unfair!"

"I'll be fine."

Both of us whirled around to find the topic of our conversation, Nico di Angelo. Or Neeks the Angel, which is what Grover called him when he found out his last name.

"You sure, Neeks?" Grover asked with a hint of concern lacing his voice.

Nico nodded and fidgeted with his fingers, which was what he did when he was nervous or lying. Don't call me creepy, but I learned that over the few months I had with Nico. He fidgeted with his feet or his fingers whenever he was nervous or when he was lying. For instance, he was fidgeting with his feet when we first met. In this case, he was lying to us. Nico could be too nice for his own good.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Nico reassured us, but I now knew that he was lying. I decided against bringing it up.

"Be careful, Neeks." I smiled at him. "We'll see you in high school."

"Yeah, promise us that you'll be going to the same high school, alright?" Grover said. "Yancy High School, that's where we'll be. Woah, Perce." He glanced at me. "We'll be juniors in high school by then."

My eyes widened. "That seems too far from here."

"Don't say that!" Grover playfully smacked me on the shoulder. "That means the time to see Neeks is far away! And I do  _not_  want to think of that."

I laughed. "True, true. We'll see you there Nico. In five years, we'll see you again. Promise?"

Nico nodded, a smile gracing his features. "I promise."

"We  _will_  see each other again," Grover added. "It's destiny. I know it."


	2. 1) Chapter One

"Hey, Perce!"

I whirled around to find my best friend, Grover, speeding up towards me. I yanked on my girlfriend's hand, letting her know that I was going to stop. She turned around and glanced at Grover, and she nodded in acknowledgment. She even smiled in amusement.

I met Annabeth when Grover and I were in the middle of eighth grade. She was a new student. She was a new student in our algebra class, the class that Grover and I shared with each other. She sat next to Grover, and of course, Grover was pretty outgoing. So, he became friends with Annabeth and invited her to sit with us at lunch. That was when I became friends with her, and then I ended up dating her in tenth grade. We were now in eleventh grade.

We were both in the middle of walking home since her house was only a few blocks away from my own. Grover lived across the street from me, and he usually walked home alone or with another friend because he didn't want to "ruin the moment." But as of right now, Grover was sprinting towards my direction for an unknown reason.

I turned to face Grover, who was now a few feet away from me. "What's up, G-man?"

Grover held up his pointer finger, letting me know that I was supposed to wait. He placed his hands upon his knees, closed his eyes, and began to catch his breath.

My girlfriend, Annabeth, cocked up an eyebrow. "How long and how far were you running just to see Percy?"

"A while," Grover said between pants. He stood up to his full height after he caught his breath and glanced between Annabeth and me. "I just remembered something."

"And?" Annabeth asked with a hint of annoyance and impatience. "What did you remember?"

"Well, only Perce would be able to remember this, Annie," Grover said.

"I told you, don't call me Annie!" Annabeth repeated for the millionth time. Grover is just way too stubborn to stop.

Grover waved the command aside. "Whatever, Annie. At least you don't react as badly when I call Rachel 'Rach.'"

"Yeah, Rachel will yell and punch you." I laughed.

" _Not_  funny," Grover grumbled. "Anyway, what I was  _trying_  to say was…well…it's more like a question first."

"And, what's the question?" Annabeth asked again, taking her hand from mine and crossing her arms.

Grover turned to me and gave me a goofy smile. "It's nothing serious, Perce. But, do you remember Neeks the Angel?"

" _Neeks the Angel_ ," Annabeth repeated slowly. "Is this one of Grover's stupid stories again?"

"They are  _not_  stupid!" Grover cried.

I laughed. "No, it's not. Though, it  _does_  sound like it, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "I'm surprised it isn't one of Grover's stupid stories. Well, if 'Neeks the Angel' isn't a fantasy, then who is he?"

"You know how Grover loves to give his friends nicknames?" I asked Annabeth, who nodded in response. "Well, Grover and I used to have a friend in elementary school. He was two years younger than us, though. His  _real_ name was Nico di Angelo, but Grover likes to call him 'Neeks the Angel.'"

Annabeth smiled. "I see. That's probably the stupidest nickname Grover can ever give to someone. And Grover was in  _sixth_  grade. Wow, I feel bad for Nico."

"Hey, that nickname was  _gen-i-us_ ," Grover remarked. "Nico totally liked it."

"He did not," I retorted.

"He agreed with the nickname!" Grover waved his arms in the air for emphasis.

"Nico's too scared of you to deny anything."

"He was not!"

"Nico was in fourth grade, what would you expect?"

Annabeth laughed at our little argument. "You guys are such dorks."

"We are not!" Grover and I cried at the same time.

Annabeth held her hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. So, why did you want to ask Percy if he remembered Nico?"

" _Neeks_ ," Grover corrected.

Annabeth only rolled her eyes. "You are absolutely pathetic."

Grover sighed. "Annie, Annie, Annie. You just don't know how much magic nicknames have."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Grover. Nicknames contain magic. Totally."

"Anyway," I said, getting everyone back on topic, "why did you want to ask if I remember Nico? And yeah, I remember. I wish he was here though. Nico was awesome."

"Well, do you remember the promise that we made on promotion day?" Grover asked.

I frowned. Promise? We made a promise? I didn't think Grover remembered anything from five years ago. And I thought I was better at remembering things.

Then, it dawned on me. "The promise where Nico would go to the same high school as us?"

Grover nodded. "And, we're in eleventh grade right now. So, guess who's in ninth grade?"

"Grover, stop asking such obvious questions," Annabeth informed. "Nico's obviously the one in ninth grade. But, it's been five years. Would Nico even remember such a promise?"

"Annie, Annie, Annie," Grover repeated. "Of  _course_  he would remember!"

"And why is that?" Annabeth inquired.

"Because he's  _Nico_!" Grover replied like it was the most obvious thing in the whole world.

I rolled my eyes. "I think Nico would remember because he never had any other friends but us."

Annabeth cocked her head to the side. "He didn't have any other friends?"

I shook my head in reply. "No, and he told me it was because all the other kids knew he was really rich. They would all think that Nico was one of those shitty rich kids who thought they were superior to others with less money. It's pretty stupid. I didn't know he was rich until a week after he told us how his dad got him a super expensive watch for his birthday."

"Why did he tell you guys how his dad got him a watch?" Annabeth asked.

"Because Grover kept asking where his dad got all the money to buy him the watch. Turns out Nico kept avoiding the question because he thought we would ditch him because he was rich."

"Wow," Annabeth breathlessly commented. "So you guys were his first and only friends, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah. That's why Grover and I didn't want to leave him when we were going to middle school. I wonder how he is now."

"Well," Grover piped in, "we could see if we wanted to. I mean, if Nico remembered the promise, then he should be at our school, right?"

"Well then," Annabeth said, "I really want to meet this Nico. But, some things could go wrong in this."

"Like what?" Grover asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He might not even be at our high school because he probably forgot. Or, what if Nico is a completely different person than he was before? During the five years of separation, he probably changed after not having any friends," Annabeth explained. "Or maybe, he probably has other friends, and he forgot all about you guys." Annabeth shrugged. "I don't really know Nico. I'm just making up some possibilities on what could go wrong. He might not even want to be your friend anymore. Who knows?"

"Nico would never forget about us!" Grover strongly retorted. "And, I doubt he wouldn't want to be friends with us. Maybe he'll be the happy-go-lucky guy like he always was."

" _Maybe_ ," Annabeth pointed out. "You said 'maybe.'"

"Okay, that was a mistake! Nico  _will_  be the happy-go-lucky guy like he was before."

"Whatever you say, Grover. We'll see when we go to school tomorrow." Annabeth smiled mischievously like she's already met Nico.

I glanced between the two of them. "I feel like you guys are going to make a huge bet out of this."

Annabeth shook her head. "I don't make bets. Because I already know I'm going to win."

"You are  _not_  going to win!" Grover yelled.

Annabeth continued to smile. "Okay, Grover. You never know. I mean, it's been five years. Something ought to happen."

"I hope nothing happened," I murmured to myself.

Annabeth took my hand and intertwined our fingers. "Come on, let's go home." She started to walk until she turned around. "Grover, you want to walk home with us? You literally live across the street from Percy anyway. And don't worry; you're not going to 'ruin the moment.' We can't really  _have_  a moment when we're walking."

Grover sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll come."

And we embarked on our journey home.

* * *

The next day when I arrived at school, I was almost tackled by Grover.

"Dude!" Grover said.

"What?" I asked, completely bewildered.

"Do you not remember? Today's Nico Remembrance Day!" Grover cheerily yelled.

"Nico Remembrance Day?" Annabeth said with a hint of amusement in her voice. She walked up from behind Grover and placed a hand on her hip. "This is  _got_  to be interesting."

I rolled my eyes. "Nico Remembrance Day, huh? I feel bad for Nico."

Annabeth laughed at my comment. "You've got that right. Now, how long do you think it'll take us to find Nico anyway? We only have about thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes is a long time!" Grover remarked.

"It would be if we weren't looking for a needle in a haystack," Annabeth said.

"But we're  _not_  looking for a needle in a haystack," Grover triumphantly pointed out.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "It was a metaphor, Grover."

"Metaphor, Shmetamore," Grover offhandedly said.

" _Shemetamore_ ," Annabeth repeated. She brought a hand up to her forehead and exasperatedly sighed. "Please don't tell me you just said that."

Grover grinned. "I did. Now, let's go find Nico!"

Grover marched away while Annabeth dropped her hand back onto her hip glanced at me with a look that said:  _Please help me_. I only smiled in amusement and shrugged. She sighed once more, took my hand, and followed Grover to wherever he planned to go.

I didn't have a  _clue_  as to where Nico could be. And, if Annabeth was right, then how different could he possibly be? Well, all I could do is find Nico out of the thousands of people that attend this school and see for myself on what has become of Neeks the Angel.

Now I finally understood why Annabeth chose the "needle in the haystack" metaphor.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, I was pretty sure I memorized where every student in the whole school went to meet up with their friends. Well, every student but Neeks the Angel. He was pretty much  _hidden_  from everyone that attended Yancy High School. I mean, where could  _one_  person be? I was pretty sure I saw every single student that attended this school. All except for Nico, at least.

I was starting to lose hope. I mean, what if Nico didn't go to this school, just like what Annabeth said? I was tired of looking around this enormous school. My feet were starting to get sore. I absolutely  _hated_  walking, which is why I signed up for the swim team, and not track and field.

"Guys, why don't we  _stop_  wandering around and  _ask_  someone if they know a Nico di Angelo around here?" Annabeth finally suggested.

Grover stopped and turned around. "You could've said that earlier!"

Annabeth shrugged. "Didn't feel like saying it."

" _Uh-huh_ , whatever." Grover turned back around and started to look around the area we were in—the back of the library building.

There were only a few people at the back of the library building. There was a group of people of eight on one side, and another kid in the shade of a giant tree. I felt bad for the kid; that group of people was  _totally_  neglecting him.

"Why don't we ask him? I doubt those people would answer us anyway," Annabeth suggested, pointing the teenager in the shade of the tree.

Grover shrugged. "Why not? Let's go."

When we trudged up to him, his featured became more definite. He had messy, black hair as if he just got out of bed (which I wouldn't doubt because it was early in the morning). He had a black T-shirt and black jeans. He had silver chains hanging off the side of his jeans, and a black hoodie was placed to his left. He had a super expensive, black watch on his right wrist, and he was currently listening to some music since he had white earphones on. He also had a very expensive skull ring on his left pointer finger. He was sitting on the ground, with his left leg stretched out, and his right leg bent. His right arm rested on his right knee.

"Hey, kid." Grover tried to grab his attention.

"Well,  _that's_  rude," Annabeth huffed.

The teenager glanced up at us and raised an eyebrow. His fingers on his right hand started to fiddle with each other. He took out his left earphone and asked, "What do you want?"

He had such intimidating and piercing dark brown eyes. They were so full of pain and loss, I felt  _really_  sorry for him. I'm surprised I've never seen this guy around school before. He seemed very noticeable once you saw his eyes.

"Look,  _uh_ , sorry for bothering you," Grover began, "but we're looking for a guy named Neeks the Angel. Do you happen to know where he might be?"

"Are you kidding?" The teen asked though I could see his fingers started to play around with each other at a faster pace.

Annabeth elbowed Grover. "What my friend is trying to say is that we've been looking for a guy in ninth grade named Nico di Angelo.  _Not_  Neeks the Angel." She glared in the direction of Grover. She then glanced back at the teen sitting on the ground. "Are you in ninth grade?"

The teen nodded. "Yeah, I am. But, I don't know who Nico di Angelo is," He muttered quietly. "Sorry."

Grover looked  _really_  disappointed. "Alright, well thanks anyway." He glanced at Annabeth and me. "Maybe we should go ask a few other ninth-graders to see if they know Neeks. If not, then I guess he doesn't go to this school."

I barely heard Grover's Plan B. I was too busy staring at his black, expensive watch. It looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite place my finger on where I've seen it before. It was on the tip of my tongue. Man, do I hate it when that happens.

The teenage glanced up at me. "What are you doing?" He said darkly. "Do you plan on stealing my watch?"

Grover and Annabeth glanced back at me. Grover raised an eyebrow at me, and I shook my head at the both of them. "No, I don't plan on stealing it. I  _never_  steal things. It's just…I don't know. Your watch just looks familiar to me."

The teenager shrugged. "Many people could have the same type of watch. Maybe you've seen it somewhere else."

I shook my head once again. "No, I don't see expensive watches just  _anywhere_. And, all the expensive watches that I  _do_  get the chance to see are gold or silver.  _Not_  black."

The teenager frowned at me. "Maybe you're just going crazy because I don't recall ever seeing you except for around the school."

"No, I  _definitely_  remember that watch from somewhere," I said again, with more certainty. But, I just  _couldn't_  remember where I've seen that watch. Who was someone that I knew was rich?

"Percy, let's just go. Maybe the watch thing will come back to you," Annabeth said, grabbing my arm.

It clicked into my head like a person clicking on a light switch. I only knew one other person that was rich, and this teenager was a big, fat liar.

I yanked my hand away and pointed at the teen sitting on the ground. He raised an eyebrow at me, but I already knew  _exactly_  who this person was.

"Nico," I flatly said, even though on the inside, I was celebrating on how I finally remembered where I've seen that watch.

" _What_?" Annabeth and Grover simultaneously asked.

"You big, fat liar," I told the teen on the ground. "You're Nico di Angelo."


	3. 2) Chapter Two

" _What_?!" Annabeth and Grover screeched.

"Hold up, hold up, Perce." Grover spread a hand in the air. "I mean, I know people change over the years and stuff, but someone can't change  _this_  much!" Grover frantically waved his hand at who I assumed to be my rich friend from elementary school.

Who I assumed to be Nico di Angelo raised an eyebrow. "What are you  _talking_  about?"

I glanced at Annabeth and Grover. "Just to let you know I am  _not_  crazy." I glanced back at PNDA (Probably Nico di Angelo; that will be his name until I find out who this guy really is). "Admit it. You're Nico di Angelo, aren't you?"

PNDA stared at me like I was crazy. "No, I'm not. Just go away," He icily demanded.

I sat down next to PNDA without his consent. PNDA looked at me with disgust.

"Look, even if you aren't my friend from elementary school and you somehow manage to prove to me that you're not him, I still want to be your friend."

"Why?" He asked, his voice full of malice.

"Because," I genuinely smiled at him, "I'd never leave someone I find alone."

Annabeth chuckled. "That's Percy Jackson alright."

Then, an idea popped into my mind. "Wait a second, if you're not Nico di Angelo, then what's your name?"

He clenched his teeth, so I could tell I hit a sore spot.

Instead, he asked me, "Why do you care?" He glared at me.

"Because" I began my explanation, "if you tell me your name and it's  _not_  Nico di Angelo, then you can prove to me that you're  _not_  him."

"What if he lies to you and tells you a fake name?" Annabeth pointed out.

"Wow, make me feel stupid, sure, why not?" I huffed.

Annabeth chuckled. "Just pointing out the possibilities, that's all."

"That's your job, after all," Grover sighed.

PNDA sighed. "You know, I'm pretty good at lying."

"Then just don't lie to us," Grover said.

"Then how would you know that I'm lying when I  _am_  lying?" PNDA raised a challenging eyebrow.

Grover stumbled over his words. When he realized that he couldn't find an answer, he huffed and gave up.

PNDA rolled his eyes at Grover's stupidity. "You gonna leave me alone now?"

I smiled at me. "'Course not. Like I said before, I would never leave someone that's alone."

PNDA sighed exasperatedly. "What if I want to be alone?"

"Who wants to be alone anyway?" Grover asked.

"Maybe I do," PNDA stared with no amusement at Grover.

"You're  _cr-a-zy_ ," Grover pronounced. Then he smirked and said with the most horrible impression of the  _Poptarts_  commercial, " _Crazy_   _good_."

Annabeth began to rub her right temple. "Please don't bring that commercial into this, Grover."

"Why not? Poptarts are good, you know." Grover smiled and elbowed Annabeth in the side.

"Don't even." Annabeth slightly glared at Grover, but he was already immune to Annabeth's glares.

"Guys," I attracted their attention, "I'm trying to become friends with PNDA."

" _PNDA_?" Annnabeth, Grover, and PNDA asked in mere confusion.

"What does that even stand for?" Annabeth asked me, which was probably one of the first questions she has ever asked me.

"It stands for 'Probably Nico di Angelo'," I explained to all three of them.

"At least you make better nicknames than Grover." Annabeth shrugged.

"Hey!" Grover cried. "I make  _wonderful_  nicknames."

"And that was probably the biggest descriptive word you've ever used," Annabeth commented with a smirk in Grover's direction.

Grover sighed. "I have no idea why you're even dating this girl."

I shrugged. "Well, what can I say? I can say a lot of things actually."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Do you mean you can say a lot about me? Or did you mean you can just say a lot in general?"

I frowned for a moment, deep in concentration, before shrugging. "I don't know. Both, I guess."

Annabeth chuckled. "You better say a lot of things about me.  _Good_  things at least."

"You guys are such a cute couple," Grover stated with sarcasm seeping into his voice. "But enough of that. Your friend that I  _don't_  believe is Nico di Angelo just disappeared."

Annabeth and I exchanged perplexed glances, before turning back to Grover.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean when you say he 'disappeared'?"

Grover gestured to the spot where PNDA sat. "He's gone, doofus."

Annabeth and I stared at the spot where PNDA used to be sitting.

"Wow," Annabeth breathlessly said. "That guy can leave quieter than a mouse."

"But mouses are pretty loud," Grover remarked.

" _Mice_ ," Annabeth irritatingly corrected. "And, I think you're thinking about  _rats_."

"Oh." Grover blinked blankly at Annabeth. She could only sigh and slap her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"What do you want to do now? PNDA or whatever you called him is gone," Annabeth asked.

I grinded my teeth together. "I—don't know. Maybe he'll be back tomorrow."

"Or maybe he's smart enough to stay away from this place because he suspects that you'd be here tomorrow," Annabeth surmised.

"Why do you  _always_  have an alternative to something I say?" I whined.

"'Alternative'—nice usage of vocabulary." Annabeth nodded in approval. "And I say them because I'm just saying what could happen. PNDA—I think that's the nickname you gave him—might be smarter than you think."

"But I already know that Nico's smart," I brought up. "In elementary school, Nico had such good grades."

"But," Grover drawled, "this guy might not even be Neeks. And man, I was  _so_  jealous of his grades. I think he tutored me once in Math."

"Wasn't he two grades below you though? How could he tutor you in something he's never learned?" Annabeth knit her eyebrows at Grover.

" _Exactly_ ," Grover slowly said. "He was  _that_  smart. Neeks was a genius! He was the angel of Math!"

"But you said his nickname was 'Neeks the Angel' because his full name was 'Nico di Angelo', not because he was the 'angel of Math'," Annabeth pointed out.

"Whatever." Grover waved the statement aside. "His nickname works for both! I wish I had a cool name like 'Nico di Angelo'. 'Grover Underwood' doesn't work out very well. It sounds more like 'The rover is under the wood'. I mean, who wants a name like  _that_?!"

"What about Percy's full name?" Annabeth pointed her thumb towards my direction.

"Okay, well 'Percy' is a pretty cool name. Or nickname, I guess. I mean, it could either be 'Percival'  _or_  'Perseus'. And his last name? Don't even get me started! 'Jackson' is the last name of 'Andrew Jackson'—our seventh President! 'Jackson' was also the last name of 'Thomas Jackson'—a general during the Civil fucking War! I mean, he has the last name of such cool people!"

"The only thing Grover could sound smart in is when he's talking about names." Annabeth sighed in exasperation. "But, Thomas Jackson was fighting for the Confederates in the Civil War, and the Confederacy lost."

"Well—whatever!" Grover cried. "At least he  _has_  a cool last name."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Okay, Grover, whatever." She turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "What are  _you_  smiling at?"

My smile didn't die at all. In fact, it became bigger. "Your conversations with Grover are so amusing. I just can't help it."

Annabeth rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time of the day. "Let's just get to class now, shall we? The bell's gonna ring soon."

* * *

After school when I walked into the front door of my house, my mom, Sally, and my step-dad, Paul, were both in the living room watching something on our TV. I smiled at the sight of them, dropped my ocean blue backpack by the door, and decided to go join them on the couch.

My mom, Sally, had long, straight brown hair with a few gray strands in it, but they weren't very noticeable. She always had such a warm smile across her face, which was why she had many laugh and smile lines. Her eyes were a very pretty and sparkly blue, and she always smelled like sweets—which was probably because she worked at a candy shop.

My step-dad, Paul, was actually my  _second_  step-dad. My first step-dad, Gabe Ugliano (which in my opinion should be spelled  _Ugly_ ano) was so horrible that my mom divorced him. She was pretty lucky to find Paul, and we both love him a lot more than Gabe. I call him "Paul" instead of "Dad" because, well, it just sounds better. I've had three dads so far, and I didn't feel like calling the third one "Dad". He was about thirty-something (I never bothered to ask him how old he actually was), and he had longish salt-and-pepper hair. He loved to read books, but as of right now, I didn't see a book near ten feet of him. Which really surprised me.

My first and  _actual_  dad was named Poseidon Jackson. The reasons are unknown as to why his name was Poseidon. Maybe his parents like the ocean? I didn't know, but my dad  _really_  loved going to the beach. That was probably the only memory that I had of him. I vaguely remembered him at all. I was really young when he was still living with my mom and me. My mom always refused to tell me as to why he left us in the first place. But she always got a faraway look on her face, so I decided to avoid the topic.

"Oh, hello, Percy," Paul greeted me with a smile.

"How was school, Percy?" My mom brightly smiled at me.

I shrugged. "Fine, I guess." At the moment I said the sentence, I realized that it  _wasn't_  fine. I was having problems with a certain Nico di Angelo. Or PNDA if you wanted to call him that because I wasn't so sure if that was really Nico di Angelo. What if it wasn't, and PNDA totally thought I was going crazy? I bet that could happen.

My mom seemed to read my facial expression, and guessed that school was  _not_  fine, because she asked, "Are you sure? You don't seem to look very fine."

She patted the spot on the couch next to her, and I gladly obliged.

I sighed and glanced at my mom and Paul. "Paul, you won't be able to remember him because you've never met him. But, Mom, do you remember my friend my elementary school? Nico di Angelo?"

My mom's expression brightened. "Of course I remember him! He was such a nice and lovely boy. Very timid too, if I recall. His parents were such lovely people as well. Maria was especially nice. His sister was also very beautiful. I miss all of them. Why do you ask?"

Paul was very perplexed about whom all those people that my mom just named were, but he didn't comment or ask questions at all.

"I think I saw Nico today at school," I answered with a bit more excitement than I anticipated.

"Nico?" She asked with excitement as well.

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, I might've."

" _Might've_?" My mom quizzically inquired.

"Yeah. The guy I found, well, I think he's Nico."

"Why do you think so?" My mom raised an eyebrow.

"Because he has the same exact watch as Nico!" I exclaimed.

"Many people could have the same watches, Percy" My mom pointed out.

"I know." I sighed as my shoulders slumped. "But, I have a feeling this guy was Nico. At promotion during sixth grade, we made a promise that we would go to the same high school. And, now this guy with the same watch as Nico's was there! He also has the same eyes as Nico, and he fidgets when he's nervous or when he lies, just like Nico. When he was saying that he  _wasn't_  Nico, he was fidgeting. I'm pretty sure this guy was Nico."

My mom and Paul chuckled at my long rant.

"I suppose that could be Nico," My mom agreed. "But, why do you think he  _isn't_  Nico?"

"He seems—different," I slowly explained. "He just wasn't the same as he was when he was in elementary school. What do you remember of him, Mom?"

My mom sighed, trying to recall Nico from way back. "Well, he was very shy and timid. He was quiet, and he smiled and laughed very easily. He was fun to be around, and he loved being around other people. I remember you told me that he never had any friends because he was rich, and everyone thought he was mean. I thought that was cruel, and so I began to like Nico a whole lot more than I used to."

She scanned my face for any change in emotion until her eyes met mine again. "How is he like now?"

I deeply sighed. "The exact opposite. When I saw him, I didn't even  _recognize_  him."

My mom knit her eyebrows at me. "Then, how did you even know it was him?"

"Well, Grover remembered the promise that we made with Nico after our Promotion is sixth grade. We decided to go looking throughout the  _whole entire school_  to find Nico."

Paul chuckled once more. "That's Grover alright."

I smiled in amusement and nodded. "Yep. Anyway, Annabeth suggested that we ask someone instead to see if they know someone named Nico di Angelo. The person we ended up asking was the guy that I think is Nico."

"What a coincidence." Sally smiled.

I nodded. "When we asked him if he knew Nico di Angelo, he said he didn't know anyone by that name. But his fingers were fidgeting against one another when he said that. I never told him about that habit when we were in elementary school, so I doubt he lost that habit. I also saw the watch on his wrist, and it was the  _exact_  same watch that Nico had when I first met him. His fingers were also fidgeting throughout the whole entire time we talked. I'm  _certain_  that was Nico di Angelo.

"But, he wasn't the Nico di Angelo that I knew before. Remember Nico before, the way you described him?" I directed towards my mom.

She nodded. "I remember it clearly as if it was just yesterday."

I nodded in acknowledgment. "Well, this Nico that I saw at the beginning of school today, he was the  _complete_  opposite. He had bangs that covered his face, so I couldn't even see his eyes. He was wearing all black, and he had chains hanging from his pants. He had that black watch on his wrist still, but on his pointer finger, he had skull ring on it. It was pretty creepy if you ask me.

"He sounded really annoyed when he was talking to us, so I'm pretty sure he hates people now. He sounded really mean when he was talking to us. So, either he just doesn't remember us at all, or he just didn't want to be around us anymore." My voice slowly became quieter at the thought of Nico not remembering Grover and me.

My mom slowly nodded as the new information entered her head. "Maybe if he hates people, then you should just try talking to him alone, without Grover or Annabeth."

I was about to agree, but I remembered what Annabeth said when Nico secretly left. "But, what if he doesn't go back to that spot anymore? He might suspect that we're going to find him, so he probably went to another place to sit so we wouldn't find him."

My mom shrugged. "You'll see tomorrow, Percy. Any suggestions, honey?" She tilted her head to look back at Paul.

Paul took a sharp intake. "If he's not there where you found him tomorrow at school, then it'll be easier to find him because you know what he looks like now. If he wears all black, then he'd stand out from everyone else very easily."

Paul stopped to think about other suggestions to help me. "If Nico went through this"—He paused to think of the right phrase—"sudden transformation, then something bad might've happened when you went to intermediate school. What grade was he in when you and Grover promoted?"

"Fourth," I automatically replied. I knew so many things about Nico, it wasn't even funny.

Paul nodded. "He probably went through something horrible when you and Grover left for intermediate school. Maybe, oh I don't know, he lost someone dear to him in his life. Maybe he has been dwelling on that for so long, that he's pushed everyone he cared about before away so they wouldn't become…deceased. Maybe something else happened that has made him push everyone he has cared about away, and he turned himself into an Emo-looking character so he would scare everyone away."

"That…is truly amazing, Paul," I commented in awe. "Maybe that  _did_  happen."

Sally nodded. "When my parents were lost in a plane crash, I pushed everyone I knew away for some time, and I mourned for them every second of the day. Maybe that's happening to him.

"Remember, Percy," Sally began, "if you're going to talk to him, remember that he is in a very sensitive and emotional state right now if something bad happened to him before. You have to be gentle and kind to him. You can't force him to say what you want to hear." I already knew what my mom was talking about in that last sentence. I  _was_  a bit too rough when I wanted to hear him say that he was Nico.

"Give him time to say what he wants; don't rush him," My mom finished her advice. "Alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I got it. Thanks, Mom and Paul."

Sally genuinely smiled. "Alright. Now that that's done. Go do your homework."

"Mom!" I whined. "Can I do it later?"

"You're going to forget if you try to do it later," My mom chastised. "Now go."

Paul chuckled at my mom's rapid change of emotion. "She's right, Percy. You should go do your homework now. I  _am_  a teacher after all. If you don't do your homework, who knows what I'll do?"

I laughed. "Alright, alright. Fine, I  _will_  do homework now. Happy?"

My mom laughed along with me. "Yes, of course, Percy."

I brightly smiled at them one more time before I headed up the stairs and into my room. Once tomorrow came, I would be very prepared to convince him to tell me his identity.

But what I didn't anticipate to happen decided to happen.


	4. 3) Chapter Three

The next day when I arrived at school, it was like déjà vu. Grover almost tackled me, again.

"Dude!" Grover greeted.

" _Uh_ , hey," I awkwardly replied, attempting to regain my balance.

"Guess what we're doing today?" Grover asked me with excitement.

Annabeth, who came up from behind Grover, sighed. She placed her hand on her hip. "I'm pretty sure Percy already knows what we're doing."

"Finding Nico again?" I surmised.

"Yeah! I mean, at least we actually know what he looks like." Grover shrugged. "But," He rubbed the back of his neck, "I can't believe how much he changed."

I nodded in agreement. "I know. I wonder what happened to him."

"Maybe," Grover drawled. He paused most likely thinking of the possibilities, but he soon responded, "He got bullied and beat up again for his money?" He shrugged. "I don't know, dude. I thought those bullies went to middle school when we did."

"I'm pretty sure they did," I said, recalling the bullies that were beating up Nico, which was the first time I met him.

"There could be other people that wanted his money," Annabeth remarked.

"True." I thoughtfully nodded. "But, Nico wouldn't change that much if he was just bullied. Maybe something else happened?"

"There's no point in thinking about it and wasting time," Annabeth said. "If you guys were his first best friends, then maybe he still cares about you, despite what he says. Just ask him, even if it might take him some time."

"That is  _also_  true," Grover agreed. "So, are we going to go find him now or what?"

"Well, that's why we're getting Percy, isn't it?" Annabeth asked, even though she already knew the answer.

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go then."

* * *

The first place we all agreed to check was behind the library building. I would've thought Nico would pick a different spot to be in if he wanted to avoid us, but look who turned out to be in the area behind the library building? Yeah, I'm pretty sure you guessed it: PNDA. Or, Nico di Angelo. That answer works too. Because I was absolutely  _positive_  this big fat hell of a liar was my best friend back in elementary school.

When we got to the back of the library building, we first mentally agreed to scan the area for something  _black_. Because, well, who else do we know in this place that wears black all over?

"There," Annabeth informed in a low voice, pointing over to where we found him yesterday. "Why didn't he pick a different spot if he wanted to avoid us? That's the exact same spot he was at yesterday."

"Wait, guys," I said. "Who are those people talking to him?"

Grover squinted at them to get a better look. "I don't know." His face suddenly brightened. "I know! Why don't we just eavesdrop on them?!"

"I'm pretty sure your friend will get pissed," Annabeth retorted.

"So? Eavesdropping is when they don't know about it," Grover explained. Without waiting for an answer, he said, "Okay, guys. First thing first, where should we hide?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and sighed. "I can't believe I'm eavesdropping."

"Well, at least you get to look back on this memory the next time you eavesdrop and you can say to yourself: 'I can't believe I didn't want to eavesdrop before.'" Grover stared up into the sky, as if imagining Annabeth doing that in the coming future.

"Let's just find a hiding spot before they find us." Annabeth gave in. "Otherwise, your whole plan of eavesdropping on them will be useless."

"Right, but my question still stands. Where are we gonna hide?" Grover glanced around for a hiding spot.

"Why don't we just pretend we're regular people hanging out behind the library? I mean, there are plenty of other people here anyway," I suggested.

Grover and Annabeth stared at me like I was the craziest man in the world.

" _What?_ " I bewilderedly asked.

"Since when did you get so smart?" Annabeth questioned.

I furrowed my eyebrows at them and shrugged. "I don't know. Are we going to do that or what? I have a feeling people are going to think we're suspicious since we're talking in such quiet voices."

Annabeth nodded, regaining her composure. "Yeah. Let's just stand somewhere and try to act normal." She glared at Grover.

Grover raised his hands in the air in defense. "Wow, jeez, we didn't even do anything yet and you're already blaming me."

"I already know it's going to be you," Annabeth stated. She walked over to an area that was close enough to hear PNDA's conversation with the other three guys. Grover and I exchanged glances before following her. We decided that trying to fake-talk to each other will only distract us, so we decided on just standing there, trying to act normal.

"We'll pay you for it," a blonde guy who looked to be a little older than me in the front said.

"Like you have enough money," PNDA grumbled from his seat on the ground.

"Well, then, how'd you—a complete nobody—get that watch?" a guy with a black eye patch demanded.

"Why do you seem to care so much?" PNDA answered with a question, sounding completely bored with the conversation as if he's had it a million times.

"Because that's a pretty expensive watch, and I want it," the blonde one in the front said.

"Then go save up some money and get it yourself," PNDA said as if it was the obvious answer to everything.

"You obviously didn't do that, didn't you?" The one with an eye patch asked with a challenging eyebrow raised.

"Why the fuck do you seem to care so much?" PNDA asked again, his voice becoming angrier. "Just go away, I want to be alone."

"Isn't that…"Annabeth whispered to us, staring thoughtfully at the blonde guy in front.

"Isn't that who?" Grover ventured.

"He looks like the one that usually hangs out with Thalia," Annabeth replied.

"Thalia?" I asked with knit eyebrows. "Jason's older sister?"

Annabeth nodded. "His name is Luke Castellan."

"Luke Castellan…" I repeated with a thoughtful gaze. "But, why would he be threatening Nico?"

"We're not sure if it's really Nico," Annabeth reminded me. "But, I don't know."

"I wonder how much he gets threatened like this," I sadly remarked, staring at presumably Nico argue with Luke.

"Maybe a lot, considering that the watch he owns on his wrist is pretty uncommon." Annabeth glanced at the black watch that wrapped around his left wrist.

"Uncommon? What do you mean by uncommon?" I arched an eyebrow at Annabeth.

"There were only two of the watches that ever existed, at least so far. A man belonging to a very rich family had them personally made."

"The di Angelo family?" I surmised. "Because that watch that he has was from one of his parents for his birthday."

"Yeah." Annabeth nodded. "As I recall, Hades di Angelo had it made."

"Then, why do they want it so badly?" Grover questioned.

"Well, think about it," Annabeth said. "There's only two of those watches ever, so how much do you think it'll cost when you sell it?"

"A lot," Grover put bluntly.

"Exactly," Annabeth sighed.

"Those guys left," I alarmed them both after I glanced at PNDA.

"Well? Do you want to go talk to him?" Annabeth asked me.

"Obviously!" Grover cried. "Neeks the Angel is our best friend, dude! We have to!"

I chuckled. "Okay, okay. Let's go."

Annabeth led the way over to where PNDA sat, who was staring at his watch with a blank expression on his face.

"Hey," Annabeth called to him, making PNDA glare up at her.

"Fuck off," he only said, clearly furious.

"Look, we only want to be friends with you," I said, ignoring PNDA's demands. "Just give us a chance."

"Yeah, once chance, Neeks!" Grover pleaded.

PNDA averted his gaze to no particular place. He sighed. "I'm not even the friend that you're looking for."

"You obviously are," Grover scoffed.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip and leaning on one leg. " That watch was specially made for your dad, Hades di Angelo, correct?"

PNDA stayed silent at her explanation.

Annabeth decided to continue on. "He got two watches of the same kind made. He must've given one to his son, which is presumably you, Nico di Angelo."

"Maybe I stole Nico's watch," PNDA said, avoiding eye contact.

"It doesn't seem like you did," Annabeth retorted.

"How would you know? Do you monitor by every action?" PNDA snapped, glaring in Annabeth's direction.

"The fact that you avoided looking at me when you made up the lie that you 'stole Nico's watch' is proof that you never did steal his watch and that watch is, in fact, yours," Annabeth said as if she practiced the line all night.

In my opinion, PNDA was really good at hiding his emotions. Because he looked totally emotionless at this point.

"Look, I just want to be alone," Nico said. "So stop bothering me so much."

"You know I'm never going to give up trying to be friends with you again," I stated.

"Again? What do you mean by 'again?'" Nico raised an eyebrow at me while looking slightly bored.

"I became friends with you once when you were in fourth grade, isn't that right?" I smiled triumphantly at him. "So I'll become friends with you again. We have a lot of catching up to do, you know."

PNDA looked extremely bored. "You never became friends with me. I think you're talking about your friend, Nico, or whatever his name is."

"Look, stop lying. We already know you're Nico," Annabeth firmly stated.

"Well, you're wrong, because I'm not," Nico snapped. "So, go away."

"Neeks, we're still coming back for you," Grover reminded him.

"Please stop calling me that," PNDA said with a frown evident on his face.

" _Hm_ ," Grover pretended to be thoughtful, "Nah."

And that was when we left him. But, we were going to come back for him the next day, and that's when the unexpected thing happened.

* * *

The next day, we exchanged our greetings, and then we all unanimously agreed to go confront PNDA once again. But, when we arrived to the back of the library, he wasn't there.

"Huh, he  _actually_  switched places," Grover voiced what we were all thinking.

I sighed. "Yeah, I know. But, where would he go?"

"Most likely to another secluded area," Annabeth surmised.

"And, where would that be?" Grover glanced between Annabeth and me, waiting for one of us to answer.

I shrugged. "It could be anywhere."

"Or…right there." Annabeth had her eyebrow raised at an area behind Grover and me.

Both Grover and I whirled around to find Possibly Nico di Angelo, or PNDA. His hands rested on his knees, and it looked as if he participated in a triathlon. He was panting very heavily as he tried to catch his breath, and his bangs stuck to his face from all the sweat. For some reason, it made my heart start pounding against my chest, and the longer I looked at him, the more I wanted to jump him.

Wait, what was I  _thinking_?! That guy was an asshole, and he treated us horribly no matter what we said to him. So, why did I even feel this way about him?

I sighed to myself. There's no time to be thinking about such stupid thoughts; we have to see what's wrong with him, and why he's so tired.

"Yo, Neeks!" Grover was the first one to call out to him as we all ran toward him.

He looked up at us, and I almost froze where I was. God, he looked so fucking sexy.

Uh, did I really just think that? Well, that's embarrassing.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked him.

"None of your business," PNDA managed to say between breaths.

"It is our business," Annabeth stated. "So, what happened?"

"The dick stole my fucking watch," he said, finally finished with catching his breath. He stood up to his full height, and I glanced down at his left wrist. He was right, his watch was gone.

"You mean Luke Castellan?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

PNDA rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever his name is."

"Hey, let's make a deal," I decided after I stopped drooling over PNDA.

PNDA furrowed his eyebrows. "A deal?"

"A deal?" Annabeth glanced at me with a puzzled expression.

"A deal?!" Grover exclaimed. "With  _him_?!"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"What kind of deal?" PNDA ventured.

"If we get that watch of yours back, then you have to promise to tell us who you really are," I explained. I soon smiled. "And you've gotta become friends with us."

PNDA gritted his teeth. "Great. I feel like you planned all of this."

"I wish we did!" Grover cried. "That would've been  _genius_! Annabeth, why didn't you think of this earlier?"

"Because I wanted to reason with him instead of sending him on a wild goose chase," Annabeth huffed.

PNDA sighed in defeat. "Fine! I swear. Just get my watch back to me. The more you guys talk here, the farther that asshole's going to get."

"I thought he was a dick." I arched an eyebrow.

"He's both, actually," PNDA stated matter-of-factly.

I chuckled. "Don't worry, Nico. We are  _totally_  getting that watch back."

* * *

Annabeth advised that we all split up in search of Luke, since it would take a lot longer if we were to stick together the whole time, trying to search for one person throughout this giant school. I was pretty determined toward getting that watch back, especially since PNDA agreed to tell us who he really was and to become friends with us. If one of us retrieved the watch back, then we would call each other and say to meet up where PNDA was so we could give up the watch. I totally felt like some kind of secret agent who would go major parkour and be as dark as the night. But, you know, I wasn't wearing black, the Sun was shining, and I sucked at parkour.

I was normally a pretty lazy person, and helping someone retrieve their watch from one person throughout this gigantic high school would've been the last thing on my to-do list. But, because of that deal that I made with PNDA, I was going to get that watch back to him no matter what happens.

I swung open the door of the Multi-Purpose Room, and there he was—Luke Castellan. He was sitting on the stage that was located on the back wall of the MPR, with his legs swung over the side of the stage. He was admiring the very watch that would be the key to finally knowing who PNDA was and if he was a lying bastard, which I'm pretty sure he was.

"Hey!" I called to him, grabbing his attention.

He glanced up at me and raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"I'm the one that's about to take that watch," I replied, not actually introducing myself.

Luke scowled at me. "Hmph, so you want this watch too? It costs a lot, you know." He waved it temptingly in front of his face.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't want it for the money. I want it for the truth."

"The truth?" Luke looked extremely perplexed. "The truth to  _what_?"

"Er, forget what I just said," I awkwardly replied.

Luke blankly stared at me, until he finally said, "You're a weird one."

I smirked. "I know." My smile soon faded away. "But, that's not the point. Look, just give me the watch back," I demanded.

"What if I don't?" He raised a challenging eyebrow, slowly standing up and jumping down from his seat on the stage. We both knew what was about to happen.

"Then I'm going to have to take it by force."

He smirked. "Try me."

With a determined gaze set upon the black watch in Luke's hand, I ran towards him. I wasn't aiming on beating him up. My main goal was to take the watch from his grasp. After I did that, I was going to make a mad dash out of here and call Annabeth and Grover.

I decided to work on trying to make him lose his balance. I quickly ducked when Luke tried to throw a punch at my face, and I attempted to counterattack and punch him in the stomach. But it didn't work, as Luke sidestepped to my right before my fist came into contact.

Luke swung his right leg, and it crashed into my right hip. I clenched my teeth as I stumbled, glaring in Luke's direction as the other smirked triumphantly.

He attempted to kick me in the knees to make me lose my balance. I guess we were both working towards the same goal.

I rapidly sidestepped to my right and caught his leg with my two hands. I thrust his leg toward him, making him lose his balance and result in him falling to the ground. I was planning on kicking him in the back of his knees, but I guess this worked too.

Before Luke had a chance of jumping up from the ground and attacking me again, I harshly stomped my foot on his chest, so he wouldn't be able to get up. He couldn't use both of his hands to throw me off balance, since on his hands was occupied with a certain watch in them.

"Give me the watch," I demanded, bending down so I was in reach of the watch in Luke's hand.

He glared daggers at me, his teeth tightly clenched. "No way," he spat.

I went down to reach for the watch, which was a very stupid mistake.

Using his other hand, he grabbed my closest wrist and pushed me down, pinning me to the ground with both of his hands. He threw the watch somewhere out of my reach within the process, so now I didn't know where the watch even was.

"Give it up, whoever you are," He snapped with a venomous glare.

I tried to kick him in the balls, but he foresaw the attack and stepped on my legs before I could hit him.

"I'm never going to give you the watch," Luke repeated in a vicious way.

"You're right." A voice strangely familiar came from behind Luke. "You just gave that watch to me."

Luke jumped at me and glanced at where the voice was coming from. I looked as well, only to find PNDA putting his watch back onto his wrist.

Luke directed his glare to PNDA. "Give it back."

"You're never going to get it back," PNDA said in an emotionless voice, which scared me even more than him sounding angry.

Luke gritted his teeth. I knew he wasn't going to back down because of his pride, but someone else decided to intrude.

"Dude." Luke's friend with the eye patch placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just give up, we'll get them back somehow." He sent a glare toward PNDA, who responded with a roll of his eyes.

After what seemed like a while of glaring, Luke backed down.

"Fine," he said through clenched teeth. He shrugged his friend's hand off and left the Multi-Purpose Room without another word.

PNDA trudged over to me and offered a hand. "Thanks, Percy Jackson."

I smiled. "No problem, Nico di Angelo."

He nodded and pulled me up from the ground, and that was when I realized that he finally didn't object to the idea of me calling him "Nico di Angelo."

So, I guess PNDA really was Nico.


	5. 4) Chapter Four

I called Annabeth and Grover to come back to the area behind the library. They eventually came; Annabeth was a bit sweaty, but Grover looked as if  _he_  was the one that participated in a triathlon instead of Nico when we found him earlier.

I raised an eyebrow at Grover, and he glanced at me and shrugged while still panting.

"Problem?" He asked, completely out of breath.

"Why do you look like you ran a hundred miles?" I questioned with a bewildered expression on my face.

"I just wanted to know if this guy was Neeks, okay?! I got too excited." Grover laughed at himself.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "So?  _Are_  you Nico di Angelo?"

Nico grunted, but he nodded.

"Yeah!" Grover threw up his hands and cheered as if he actually  _did_  win the triathlon. But with all of those cheese enchiladas that he usually eats, I was pretty sure he would  _never_  make it to the finish line. No offense, Grover.

"So, Nico di Angelo," Annabeth said with distaste. I wondered why.

"How come you lied to us? Why did you say that you  _weren't_  Nico di Angelo when we asked you?" Annabeth did not waste a single moment getting right to the point.

Nico glared at her so hard, it seemed like I could literally feel him radiate death. "That's none of your business."

Well, Nico wasn't much of a talker than he used to be when he was ten years-old.

"Why is it not? Isn't Grover and Percy your friends?" She countered with an annoyed glint in her eyes. She  _really_  disliked Nico. I just hope they become friends soon. But, for some reason, I felt like that was wishful thinking.

I mentally shook my head. They'll warm up to each other soon enough. Right?

"I don't think they want to be anymore," Nico mumbled, barely audible for all three of us to here.

"Oh?" Annabeth challenged. "I'm guessing there's a story behind this?"

Nico shoved his hands into his jean pockets immediately after Annabeth finished her sentence. My eyes flickered toward his jeans, and I was pretty sure Nico clenched his fists together. And was he...shaking? No, it had to be my imagination.

"Why the fuck do you care?" Nico spat, though I could tell he was trying to control his anger.

Annabeth sighed. "Just wondering." Annabeth continued to stare at Nico as if she was trying to decipher a secret code.

In the corner of my eyes, I could see Nico's form relax.

Grover finally caught his breath, and he decided to break the awkward silence that hung between us four.

"You know, it's good to see you again, Neeks!" Grover's expression brightened. "We haven't seen you in, like, what? Five years?  _Man_! That's a  _long_  time ago. We need to do some catching up, dude."

Nico's lips actually formed a small smile. I relaxed from it for some odd reason.

"It's good to see that you never changed, Grover," Nico remarked.

"That's  _G-man_  for you!" Grover corrected with a goofy grin that played along his lips.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly as if she was thinking,  _What am I going to do with him?_

"Grover," Annabeth suddenly said.

Grover hummed in acknowledgment, arching an eyebrow.

"You're an idiot," Annabeth put bluntly.

Grover dramatically gasped, placing two hands over his heart. " _Excuse me!_ I'll have you know, that is  _very_ offensive!"

Annabeth shrugged. "I'm pretty sure you're used to it by now."

Grover chuckled. "Sure am, blondie."

Annabeth glared at Grover. "Don't call me that."

"But, I give everyone nicknames!" Grover wailed, waving his arms in an exaggerated way.

Annabeth softly laughed. "Whatever, Grover," she jokingly said with a small smile on her face. The only person that I knew who could lift Annabeth's mood up so quickly was Grover.

Grover grinned at her and nudged her with his elbow. Annabeth could only roll her eyes for who-knows-how-many-times.

My eyes widened when I felt a slight breeze on my left side and I instinctively outstretched my arm to the left and coming into contact with another wrist.

"Going somewhere?" I ask without even looking at whoever I directed the question to. I didn't feel the need to. But, if it was someone that I did not expect, then this would've been an awkward situation for me and for whoever's wrist I just grabbed.

Fortunately, it was the right person when he started to talk.

I could hear Nico scoff before he replied, "No, no I'm not."

I chuckled at him. "You better not." I cocked my head to the side as I stared at Nico, who only rolled his eyes in annoyance. It reminded me a lot of Grover's and Annabeth's relationship.

"Whatever, Jackson." He cocked his head toward me, and I swear that I heard a playful tone in Nico's voice.

I didn't notice that my hand was still grasping onto Nico's wrist until he ripped his hand away. I felt a bit hurt from the gesture, but maybe Nico had a reason for doing so.

I stole a glance toward Nico, who was watching Grover and Annabeth bicker back and forth. I wonder what changed Nico so much. Why was he so... _different_  than how he was in elementary school? Had it really been that long since I saw him? What in the world  _happened_  to my best friend?

"What are you doing? Hey? Percy!"

I blinked momentarily, finally coming back to the real world. When did I even start zoning out?

Nico had an eyebrow raised, and it made him look very appealing to me that he finally had some emotion across his face.

Woah, woah, woah. Slow down there, Percy. Did you just call him  _appealing_? With two a's? And two p's? Did you ever find that fact in your mind where you have a  _girlfriend_  that is literally in front of your face?

Uh, well,  _past_  Nico's face is your girlfriend.

"Yo, Percy!"

When I felt only one point in my forehead start flaring up into flames, that was when I finally returned to the real world.

I stared bewildered at whoever was in front of me, which happened to be a beauty named Nico di Angelo.

What the  _fuck_  was I thinking?!

Nico was some arrogant bastard who didn't give a shit if he lied to his old friends! The only reason he told us the truth that he really  _was_  Nico di Angelo was when his black, expensive watch he got for his birthday was stolen. And, he even had quite an attitude toward Annabeth. He doesn't even look as if he planned to tell us what happened to him.

"God dammit, Percy!"

I felt multiple needles enter my forehead.

"What the fu-" my hand automatically went up to my forehead. "Do you know how hard you can flick, Nico?! That fucking hurt!"

"Good. Do you know how many times I called your name? I swear, some people all the way from China could hear me," he snapped. "What are you even thinking about?"

"Er, nothing," I answered a bit too quickly, heat rising to my face.

Nico's eyebrow slowly ascended. "That doesn't sound like it was nothing."

I cleared my throat and decided to get straight to the point. "Look, why did you lie to us when we asked if you knew Nico di Angelo? Why did you refuse the idea of you being Nico di Angelo when you  _are_  Nico di Angelo. And, what did you mean when you said that you thought Grover and I didn't want to be your friends anymore?"

Nico stayed silent. There was a distant look in his eyes that I couldn't explain.

"Nico?" I hesitantly asked, afraid that he would glare venomous daggers at me.

He quickly looked away, biting his lower lip in a very-No! Percy! Don't say it, don't think it, don't do it!

"Just drop it," he finally stated, shooting a glare my way.

I raised an eyebrow at him, but he didn't decide to answer. Well, it was okay. I mean, at least I found out that he was actually my best friend from elementary school-Nico di Angelo.

"Hey, Nico," I began, grabbing the younger boy's attention, "I'll always be there for you as a friend," I added with a smile. "And, I'm sure Grover and Annabeth will be too. Alright? I mean, sure Annabeth isn't leaving a very good impression on you, but trust me, she's better than you think."

He observed me quietly, and I could tell that he had conflicted feelings from what I told him.

He inhaled deeply. "Whatever," was all he said.

At least he heard me instead of ignoring me.

"Nico!" Grover swung his arms around each of Nico's shoulders. "Y'know, I'm surprised you even remembered our promise! I mean, it's not like  _I_  forgot about it or anything.  _Psh_ , that'd be stupid."

Nico rolled his eyes and tried to shrug Grover off of him, but he wouldn't budge.

His jaw tightened. "Grover-"

" _G-man_!" Grover sang.

Nico exhaled very deeply as if he couldn't take it anymore and he was about to explode. "I hate being touched. Get off," Nico growled.

Grover's eyes widened at the sudden command, but he took his arms off. "Sorry, man."

"Look, why do you have to be so impudent?" Annabeth furiously asked, trying to keep her voice from getting any louder.

"And why the fuck do you care?" Nico shot her an annoyed glance.

Annabeth opened her mouth to retort, but I beat her to it before anything more serious decided to happen between them.

"Guys!" I interrupted, earning multiple glances. I decided to just ignore them.

"Calm down." I glanced between the two, but they didn't seem to be relaxing. Annabeth looked a bit furious, and Nico looked slightly annoyed by her presence. The tension in the air didn't seem to retreat either.

"I don't understand how you guys became friends with this jerk," Annabeth mumbled quietly under her breath, but it seemed that Nico heard her.

"Sorry? Couldn't quite catch that." Nico feigned ignorance. "Do you mind saying that again a bit more loudly?"

Annabeth's teeth clenched together. "You-I cannot take you anymore! I didn't think I could lose my temper so easily until  _you_  came along!"

Nico glanced and stared at her like she was a nuisance.

"Annabeth." I cringed when Annabeth turned to look at me. Thankfully, her expression softened.

"Nico's a great guy." I heard Nico scoff, but I ignored it. "So, just give him a chance. Please?"

She looked a bit uncertain and doubtful, so I resorted to giving her the best puppy eyes that I could muster.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. "Fine."

I glanced at Nico. "Give her a chance? You swore you would become friends with us."

Nico hesitated, and I saw his eyes flicker down to the black watch on his left wrist that I recently retrieved for him.

He tilted his head up so he was looking at the sky. "Whatever."

"Woo-hoo!" Grover cheered, throwing an arm over Annabeth's shoulders and whooping like the idiot he was. Well, he was a good type of idiot.

My eyes shifted over to Nico, who looked slightly uncomfortable with the situation. His shoulders were a bit tense, and he looked as if he were chewing the inside of his cheek. And, I bet he was.

I sent a concerned gaze over to him. My mom's words echoed throughout my head, so I tried to talk to him alone while Annabeth and Grover were distracted.

"Hey, are you okay?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. I continued so it would look like I knew I was doing. But honestly, I didn't.

"Sorry about Annabeth; she can be like that sometimes."

Nico shook his dark brown hair, peeling his eyes from the sky above him. "You don't have to worry. I'm fine."

The nicer tone that he directed toward me made my heart flutter.

I smiled at him. I considered ruffling his hair, but after the incident with Grover, I didn't think it would turn out very well.

"It's been a pretty long while, huh?" I decided to say, trying to keep a conversation with him.

He slowly nodded. He was probably wondering why I decided to suddenly talk to him.

"Yeah. It's been five years," he said with a distant look in his chocolate brown eyes.

"Er, look, sorry for trying to get immediate answers from you." I shifted my weight between my two feet. "You just seemed so..." I didn't want to say anything to hurt the guy, so I trailed off, hoping he got the clue.

Fortunately, he understood.

"Different?" Nico finished for me. I opened my mouth to reply, but he cut me off.

"Actually, don't reply to that. I already know that I'm different than I was before when I met you and Grover."

"Grover's gonna be mad if he finds out you didn't call him  _G-man_." I smirked as the shorter one rolled his eyes.

"Who cares?"

"Grover apparently does."

Nico sighed. "He's not listening, so why should it matter?"

I shrugged. "Guess that's true. Just don't forget to call him that when you're talking to him. He's made an exception with Annabeth since he didn't know her when he was younger."

Nico nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, yeah."

"So, how are you now?" I tried to ask in the most nonchalant way possible.

Nico unconsciously bit his lower lip. "Getting better, I guess."

"Getting better?" I asked before my mom's words rang through my head.

_"He is in a very sensitive and emotional state right now,"_  my mom had said to me.

I could see Nico visibly tense. "Er, yeah. Listen, is it okay if I don't mention the reason right now?"

I nodded immediately with a ridiculous smile on my face. "Yeah, of course. Whenever you're ready. I'll be there for you whenever you need me."

Nico blankly blinked up at me as if he couldn't even comprehend what I was telling him.

"Th-thanks," Nico stuttered, but he suddenly became very embarrassed by it and he bowed his head.

I chuckled. Man, was he adorable or what?

I tried to ignore that last sentence that randomly made its way into my mind.

"You're welcome," I replied, still having that ridiculous smile on my lips.

He glanced up at me with a tired expression. "I guess it was nice talking to you again." He observed me once again.

"Yeah, it was nice talking to you too," I said.

As if it was on cue, the bell rang to signal the start of the school day.


	6. 5) Chapter Five

After boring, chronic lectures from all of my teachers, I made my way through the double doors that led to the front of the school. The nice, fall breeze hit me like a model in those magazines that look as if they stood in front of a fan. Well, I was positive that they stood in front of a fan. Did they? Because I was pretty sure their hair wasn't naturally like that.

I yawned, and my eyes scanned the area in front of me. Sidewalks and patches of grass lined the front of the school. A giant sign to my right held the inscribed calligraphy words of "Yancy High School." Thick trees bordered the parking lot which was also in front of my view.

Various students rushed to their cars or to their other friends. Some students rushed elsewhere for a sports practice or meeting. Others leisurely took their time making their way toward their locker.

And me? Well, I was hoping to find a certain someone. And, not as in a date because I already have a beautiful girlfriend named Annabeth Chase, thank you very much.

I was looking for a certain ninth grader named Nico di Angelo.

I wasn't even sure where he usually went after school ends, but I hoped that I would be able to catch a sight of him. The conversation that I had that morning with Nico was not enough to satisfy the five year gap between us.

Then, I found a head full of black hair and an olive-skinned body full of black clothes, excluding the silver chain that hung from his waist.

"Nico!" I called out, hoping that the figure would stop and turn around to reveal Nico's adorable face. I mean, just Nico's face. Nothing more, nothing less. Right?

The figure stopped and glanced behind his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow as I made my way toward him.

"Hi?" Nico turned around to face me, narrowing his piercing black eyes suspiciously at me.

I smiled, despite the feeling of nervousness that crept through me.

"Hey!" I cheerfully greeted. "Do you want to hang out with me today? I'd love it if you came by to see my parents again."

Nico's face became unreadable, and the more he stayed silent, the more nervous I became.

He finally opened his mouth. "Sure," he simply replied.

"Seriously?" I didn't know  _why_ I was so surprised, but it was the first thing that came out of my mouth.

Nico blinked at me. "Er, yeah. Is that a problem or-"

"No!" I rapidly responded. "I mean, well, uh." I sighed exasperatedly, seeming to be at a loss for words. "You know what? Just-just forget it."

Nico made a small smile of amusement at me. Wait, Nico smiled?  _Nico di Angelo actually smiled._ Nico di Angelo  _smiled_ at  _me._ Nico-di-fucking Angelo  _smiled at me._ And, I must say, the smile was  _very_  worth it. My heart stopped at the sight of it, and butterflies started to fly throughout my stomach. But, I didn't know why.

"You are still the same as before," Nico remarked, his beautiful smile disappearing. What? I did not just call his smile beautiful. I swear I didn't! I'm going to refuse that to the day I die.

"Is that supposed to be good or bad?" I smirked at nudged his side

He rolled his eyes in response. " _Hm_ , both I guess. You're still stupid as always," Nico said in a mocking tone.

_"Hey_!" I exclaimed, but I didn't feel offended. I just felt happy that Nico was actually  _talking_ to me. When Nico and Annabeth were fighting, it was as if all Hell broke loose.

"So," I began, "do you want to go now?"

Nico shrugged, shoving his hands into his front jean pockets. "Whatever you want."

I smiled and gestured him to follow. He trudged slowly and hesitantly behind me, but I couldn't figure out why. If he didn't want to come, he should've just said so instead of lying, right?

I stopped and turned around, and Nico raised an eyebrow at my sudden action and stopped a foot behind me.

"Do you even want to come along?" I asked for clarification, though I think I asked a little too harshly. "You can go home if you want."

"I told you, didn't I?" Nico objected, taking his hands out of his pockets. "I'm going with you."

I grinned, despite the fact that Nico looked like he was considering that offer. He looked reluctant to go with me, so why did he decide to come along anyway?

I ignored the fact and decided to continue to lead the way to the place where I was raised.

* * *

I unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

"Mom! Paul! I'm home! I shouted into the air. I didn't exactly know where my parents were, but I knew my voice would carry around the house and eventually reach my parents.

"Paul?" Nico knit his eyebrows. "Who's Paul?"

I blankly blinked at Nico. Then it clicked in my mind.

"Oh! Right! See, my original dad, Poseidon, the one that you met. He, er, well," I stuttered a bunch of random words until I was finally able to force myself to say it. "He...left."

Nico's eyes widened, but they soon returned to normal size. "Oh," was all that he could muster.

"Percy!" I heard my mom say behind me, before being enveloped in a warm hug.

"Hey, Mom!" I laughed, hugging her back.

She held me at an arm's length. "How was school, Percy?"

"Great, but I want you to see someone again." I gestured toward Nico. "You remember Nico, right?"

Sally turned around and her expression became brighter. "So you're Nico, huh? You grew up so much since the last time I saw you! I missed seeing you so much! How's your family? What grade is Bianca in now? The same as Percy? Does Bianca go to the same school as you? Oh, I have so many questions to ask you! It's been way too long!"

Nico gave a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He shifted his weight a bit too much for an average person, and he was fingering his silver skull ring that adorned his left index finger. Now that I think of it, didn't Nico play with his fingers whenever he became nervous?

I mentally shook my head and brushed it aside. He was probably nervous because he hadn't seen her in years. Yeah, that must explain Nico's nervousness.

Nico cleared his throat. "Yeah, she's in the same grade as Percy, but she goes to a private school called Olympus High. I was originally supposed to go there too, but Percy and Grover went to Yancy High School, so my mother let me go there."

Maybe it was my imagination, but it sounded like Nico's voice was shaking.

"Well, that's very nice of her." My mom chuckled. "It sounds just like Maria."

Nico's shoulders became tense in the corner of my eyes, but I could see him attempting to relax.

Sally smiled sincerely at the younger teen. "I  _must_ get Paul to meet you! He's Percy's new step-dad."

"Yeah, Percy told me," Nico stated.

Sally nodded. "I'll go get him now. Nico, do you want anything?"

He silently shook his head, shoving his hands into his front jean pockets once again.

"Okay, I'll go get Paul then, if you'll excuse me." She walked into the central corridor of our house, going to who-knows-where for my step-dad.

We stood there in silence for awhile, but a question popped into my head that I couldn't ignore.

I glanced at Nico, who seemed to be in a trance as he stared at me. He was probably sucked into his own thoughts, so he was most likely staring not at me, but at nothing in particular.

His eyes seemed dark, and his heavy bangs that hung over his face made him look mysterious-not that he wasn't already. His hair made him have that tired look, but the bags under his eyes proved that he really  _hadn't_ gotten much sleep.

But, his hair also framed his face in such an astonishing way, and it seemed to have defined his features more. Everything on his face stood out to me. Like his cute little nose, his piercing dark chocolate brown eyes that seemed to swirl with despair, yet frustration. His cheekbones stood out, and the best of all, his hair  _and_  his olive skin made his lips look more plump and red than any that I've ever seen.

Okay, let us fast forward and pretend that I never had those thoughts. Like, damn, Percy! Why do you keep thinking about how sexy Nico looks?! You have a girlfriend, you know!

"Percy?"

I snapped out of my own trance, and I looked down at none other than Nico di Angelo, who was narrowing his eyes at me.

"Why do you keep zoning out like that?" Nico eyed me suspiciously. "Seriously, what do you even think about?"

I could swear my face was red by now, but Nico didn't note it at all.

I decided to change the subject as fast as I could. I remember that I had a question for Nico that kept bugging me ever since his conversation with my mom.

"How come you went to Yancy High School instead of going to Olympus High like your sister?" I blurted out, desperate to change the subject.

Nico raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of subject, but he didn't bring it up either.

"Didn't you hear?'' Nico asked, though I could hear a slight pain in his voice.

Nico continued. "I said that since you and Grover were going to Yancy, I just thought I should go there too. I did promise you guys and everything, remember?"

"Well, yeah." I rubbed the back of my neck. "But, if you came to Yancy because of me and Grover. then why did you just decide to never speak to us?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought that...maybe you guys didn't remember me. I mean, it's been five years so I wouldn't blame you. So, I just never brought anything up."

"You know Grover and I would never forget you, right?" I flashed him a smile.

He rolled his eyes. "I see that now."

I chuckled, and that was when my mom and Paul simultaneously entered the room


	7. 6) Chapter Six

Paul stood at the entrance of the hallway that led deeper into the house along with my mom.

His head tilted to the side as he removed his reading glasses. "I take it that you are Nico di Angelo, I presume?"

Nico was silent, but he nodded so unnoticeably that I didn't even think he heard Paul at all.

Paul nodded--and it was actually noticeable. "I see. You used to be Percy's friend, hm?"

Nico nodded, but I could tell that it was hesitant.

"What happened? Why did you guys suddenly stop being around each other?" It sounded as if Paul was interrogating him as if he didn't trust Nico just yet.

Nico's expression was emotionless, and he was as still as a statue-minus his breathing and blinking. His dark brown eyes searched Paul's expression for  _something_ , but I couldn't tell what he was looking for. He stayed silent, and he didn't answer Paul at all.

Paul raised an eyebrow-it was more challenging than curious. "So? Why did you stop talking to Percy?"

He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. "Did you keep in touch with him after you left elementary school? I understand that Nico's younger than you."

I frowned. What if I said the wrong thing? What if Nico didn't want me to say something?

"Well," I took a sharp breath, "I guess I did. Sometimes I forgot to talk to him, but one day it just eventually stopped."

Paul narrowed his eyes with a frown on his face. "I see." Paul glanced back at Nico, who hadn't said a word since Paul arrived.

Hs turned Sally. "What was Nico like before?"

Sally examined Nico up and down, and then shrugged. "I can tell he has grown a lot from before. But, I guess he does seem different in a way. He's much more... _quieter_. Nico, honey," Sally called to Nico, who looked up from the wooden flooring, "you should smile more like you used to do." She offered Nico a smile, and Nico's eyes slightly widened as if he had never heard of such a thing. His change in expression was barely noticeable.

My mom was right. Nico used to wear brighter clothes, not just black. He didn't have silver chains hanging from the sides of his jeans, and his soft hair was never hanging down his face in thick bangs. Nico was also never emotionless.  _Never._ Whenever I saw him, he was always happy, always smiling. Just looking at the person who stood beside me didn't remind me of the Nico I knew in elementary school at all. The only thing that was the same was his black watch on his wrist.

What even happened to him while I was gone all of those years?

"Hey, Nico," I said, breaking the silence. Everyone's eyes turned to me at the same time. Paul looked curious and suspicious of Nico still, Sally looked surprised, but Nico still looked emotionless.

"Why don't you come outside with me?" I offered with a shrug as I jabbed my thumb in the direction of the front door. Nico frowned, but he proceeded toward the door and left it open for me.

"Does Nico seem different to you, Percy?" Paul asked me before I could even take two steps.

I stopped and turned to look at him. "Yeah, I still can't even believe that he was my best friend who got bullied in fourth grade." I stared sadly at nothing in particular.

"Whatever happened to him must have hit him hard and left a permanent scar," Paul mumbled. "Well, don't leave your friend waiting." He smiled and patted my shoulder. I returned it and exited through the open front door, wondering what else would happen next.

When the setting Sum came into view, I closed the door behind me and scanned the front porch for Nico. He was there, on my left, leaning on his arms against the railing of the front porch. He was staring ahead at the orange and blue sky with a depressed look on his face.

Nico must've heard me close the door, for he said, "You know, I used to watch sunsets with my sister."

I raised an eyebrow as I approached him. "Bianca?"

He visibly gulped, his gaze averting to the ground with a scowl on his face and his eyebrows furrowed, as if he couldn't even believe what he just said. "Forget it. Never mind."

I was still curious as to what Nico meant and why I had to forget what he said, but I brushed it aside and didn't bring it up.

At least, I  _tried_ to brush it aside and forget what he said.

We stood there in silence for awhile. The sky eventually became a dark blue, and soon a black color. Nico almost blended into our surroundings, but the lights in the nearby house went on, illuminating the area we were in so I could actually see him.

I decided to break the comfortable, yet tense silence. "Sorry about Paul. He's usually nicer than that."

Nico shook his head, his dark brown hair which looked black swayed back and forth. I could actually  _tell_ that Nico moved his head.

"It's fine," Nico quickly said, ending the conversation."

We stood there in silence once more. I turned to look at him and my eyes widened.

I saw the Nico before. The happy-go-lucky guy who always had a smile on his face and a twinkle his dark brown eyes. He had a brown jacket with a white shirt on, along with blue jeans. His mouth was moving energetically, but no words or sound cane out of them. Wild gesticulations came from Nico's hands as he talked cheerfully about something. His hair seemed to look more brown than black.

My mom's voice broke the silence as she yelled from the kitchen: "Time for dinner!"

My gaze switched to the door where her voice came from, then back to Nico. The  _actual_ Nico, the one that wore black, goth-like clothing and an expressionless face. It was weird seeing the difference between Nico in the past and Nico now all in about 2 seconds.

"I'm not very hungry," Nico surprisingly broke the silence.

I shrugged. "It's okay, I can just tell her."

"But, didn't she already make extra food for me?" Nico tilted his head to the side with an arched eyebrow, which made him look  _exceptionally_  cute.

Wait...what?

I blanked out for a few seconds before I felt a finger jabbing my forehead.

"Percy?" Nico frowned, which seemed like something he did a lot.

I blinked, looking at Nico's index finger with crossed eyes.

I looked back at Nico, and I could see that he was trying to hold in a laugh, which failed miserably.

I smiled, but I raised an eyebrow for him to explain.

"You still look ridiculous with your eyes crossed!" Nico exclaimed, finally letting go of his laugh.

I chuckled. "You  _still_ find it funny?"

Nico cleared his throat, and the beautiful music disappeared. "Yeah, sorry about that." A smirk was still on his face and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Come on; I'll tell my mom that you don't want to eat anything." I patted his shoulder, which made Nico jump, but I ignored it.

"O-Okay." Nico nodded, and he followed me into the interior of my home that I wanted Nico to be a part of too.

Well, at least there was still a little bit of the past Nico, just deep, deep inside of him. Somewhere, it's hidden, and it's waiting to freed.


	8. 7) Chapter Seven

I closed the door behind me as Nico waited for me to lead him to the kitchen where the delicious food and fumes awaited me.

When we arrived at the dinner table, I was surprised that Sally only prepared three dinner plates. Wouldn't she always prepare dinner for the guest too? She never forgot the guests.

She was setting up the rest of the table with utensils when Paul noticed us.

He raised an eyebrow at us, setting down his  _The Sword of Shannara_ novel. "Nico, are you hungry? I told Sally here that you might not be hungry, so I told her to not prepare you any."

Sally glanced up. "Oh! Nico! If you  _are_ hungry, them we still have some leftovers for you."

He shook his head, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets and murmuring, "I'm fine."

Sally stared at him worriedly. "Are you sure? I'm not sure if Maria would like it if you didn't eat."

Nico shook his head again. "She doesn't mind if I skip a few," he said, looking down at his feet as he toes rubbed against each other as if they were cold.

My mom smiled sincerely. "Alright then. Just sit down where you want then."

We both sat down - Nico to my right - and the rest of us ate our food. Nico stayed silent the whole time, so silent that sometimes I forgot he was even there.

* * *

I didn't want Nico to leave. Usually, I would say: "See you tomorrow at school!" or something like that. I could've  _totally_ said the same thing to Nico, but it didn't feel right to let him leave. It didn't settle in my stomach very well just thinking of it. I think my dinner was going to come back out soon.

We were on the front porch just staring up at the sky. There weren't many stars to be seen that night, but it was still worth it to be finally reunited with my best friend from elementary school who I haven't seen for five years or so.

"Hey, Perce," Nico started, his eyes still on the stars. I glanced at him in surprise. Nico  _still_ remembered the nickname Grover gave me in elementary school. It made my heart beat faster knowing that.

"Can I...stay..." Nico's next words were so quiet that I couldn't even hear what he was saying, but I already heard enough to know  _what_ he wanted to say.

I smiled brightly. Looks like I didn't have to worry about leaving Nico today then.

"Sure you can." I patted his shoulder and he shook slightly, but I didn't bother to mention it. "What about your parents though?"

He rubbed two of his fingers together. He tore his gaze away from the sky to look at me. "They won't mind if it's for a day or so. After all, I haven't had a friend to be with for awhile."

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion. "Wait, you haven't had a  _single_ friend since me and Grover?"

Nico averted his gaze, staring at the floor of the porch instead. "Never mind."

"You can't just  _'never mind!'_ " My voice suddenly got louder. "You haven't had  _one, single friend_ since Grover and I left?"

Nico glanced at me with mixed emotions - anger, sorrow, and was that  _guilt?_

"Percy - " he tried to say, but I cut him off.

"Answer me, Nico," I demanded. He went to intermediate school, right? Surely there would've been new people that were willing to become his friend. Or at least classmates. I mean,  _no friends at all?_ Nico couldn't make  _one friend?_

He clenched his teeth, so I could tell that this was a sensitive topic for him. It would have been for  _anyone_ if you couldn't have a friend. But, I needed to know; I wanted Nico to confirm it.

"Yeah," Nico muttered, purposely hiding my face from his view with his bangs.

I stared at him in both confusion and shock. "What about a classmate?"

"No one would bother talking to a murderer," Nico snapped, glaring up at me. But, he already realized the mistake he made as he glanced back down at the floor.

"A -  _what?_ " I exclaimed, but Nico shook his head.

"Just forget it," Nico said quickly, but before I could even react he pushed open the front door and disappeared.


	9. 8) Chapter Eight

Once Nico and I arrived at school the next day, I held onto Nico's wrist, who flinched and glared up at me.

"You're not going anywhere," I warned him, and he stayed quiet.

When we found Grover and Annabeth where we usually hung out at, Grover immediately grinned. Annabeth narrowed her eyes as if expecting some kind of comment from Nico.

Nico ripped his wrist away from mine once we found them., shoving them deep into his pockets.

"Hey, Neeks!" Grover laughed. "Man, it is  _so_ fun to finally say that! I've been waiting five years, man!  _Five!_ "

Nico rolled his eyes, but he didn't reply.

"So," Annabeth started, "I guess you're one of us now?"

"He's always been one of us!" Grover exclaimed, throwing an arm around his shoulders, who in return tensed up immediately.

"Yeah," I agreed with a nod.

There was a silence that settled around us until Annabeth broke it.

"You weren't like this before, were you?" Annabeth suddenly brought up.

I glanced at Nico, who hesitantly shook his head. Grover's arm was still around Nico's shoulders, and the back of my mind told me to shove it off. The more I stared at it, the angrier I became, which was weird because I had  _never_ been angry at Grover. I mean, was it even possible to be angry at someone like him?

"Why did you change so...dramatically?" Annabeth questioned.

Nico had a murderous glimmer in his eyes. "Why do you fucking care?" He snapped.

Annabeth shrugged nonchalantly, completely ignoring Nico's murderous mood.

"Just wondering," Annabeth simply replied.

Nico's jaw tightened. "Everyone seems to be interrogating me these days."

"Well, maybe it's because you just seem so different is all," Annabeth answered. "Like I said before, I'm guessing there's a story behind it?"

If I concentrated very closely, I could see that he was shaking. His fists went down deeper into his pockets.

"Why would I tell you?" Nico's voice slightly faltered in the middle of the sentence, but I could barely catch it.

"Would you ever tell Percy and Grover?" Annabeth remarked. "Weren't they your friends in elementary school?"

Grover glanced worriedly at Nico; since his arm was around his shoulders, I could bet that Grover could feel Nico shake.

"Hey, Annabeth," I interrupted, attracting everyone's gaze. I felt as if something bad were to happen if Annabeth dug deeper into the conversation. And, Nico didn't seem very comfortable with the situation anyway.

Annabeth's eyes roamed my face, and I knew that she could read what I wanted to say just by looking at my expression. She sighed and nodded, taking the sign.

"Sorry, Nico," Annabeth muttered.

Nico's shoulders relaxed now that we were off the topic.

He shook his head, hanging it down low. I was so tempted to just run over there and hold him close, telling him that everything was okay and that he didn't have to say anything about why he was so different. I tried to deny it, but I really wanted to kiss him wherever possible to show that it was okay. It was weird thinking that, but I didn't feel weird inside. In fact, my heart began to beat faster at the image that played through my head of kissing him wherever possible.

_Wow, okay there, Percy, getting a bit carried away, aren't you?_ A voice inside my head teased my own self.

_It wouldn't be a bit bad to think of the scenery, right?_ Another part of my head countered.

_And, what exactly would you be, kissing every single little part of his body? Like...his dick, for example?_

I shook my head. This was getting  _way_ out of hand now. This never happened to me before, so why was this happening now? Didn't I have Annabeth? Wasn't I dating her? Why do I keep having these thoughts and images about Nico?  _Why?_

I was so confused, I thought my brain would explode. I  _hated_ thinking. It was probably why I had such bad grades in school.

"Percy, are you okay?" Nico asked quietly with an arched eyebrow. You know, I could make his back arch in bed by doing something else...

God damn it, Percy!  _Why in the world do you keep thinking like this?!_

I involuntarily swiped a hand down my face with a groan. I  _really_ needed to find out why I kept thinking like this. It was so frustrating not being able to know. How did Annabeth figure out things so easily?

"Percy?" Annabeth asked with narrowed eyes. "You thinking too hard for your seaweed brain to handle?"

My head shot up and I could hear Grover attempting to cover his laugh - which obviously didn't work.

"Well,  _excuse me_ , Wise Girl!" I exclaimed, making Annabeth smirk. I took a glance at Nico, and it broke my heart to see Nico having such a lonely expression across his face.

_You still want to kiss every single spot on his body?_

I shook my head again.  _Stop it, Brain!_ I yelled internally at my own thoughts.

_I know you want to, don't you, Percy?_ My other half of my brain remarked.

I shook my head again, making it seem to Nico, Annabeth, and Grover like I was mental.

"Percy, are you okay?" Nico asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, deeply exhaling and glancing up at them.

Annabeth looked completely perplexed - one of the rarest expressions on Annabeth's face because she knew pretty much everything.

"Would you mind explaining to us what was happening inside of that seaweed brain of your's?" Annabeth questioned.

I opened my mouth to reply, but my face heated up instantly at the thought of telling them about what I wanted to do with Nico.

"Er, not really..." I trailed off, averting my gaze.

Grover laughed at my embarrassed expression, but Annabeth and Nico looked totally confused. At least there was finally  _something_ that they could agree on.

The bell rang throughout the school for the beginning of our first class, which I was absolutely thankful for because it saved me from any further embarrassing questions.

Grover and Annabeth bid their farewells and walked to their first class. Nico was about to leave as well until I grabbed his shoulder.

"Mind if I tag along?" I asked with a smile.

Nico stared at me for a little while, before nodding. My smile became wider as I swung my arm around his shoulders, and the back of my mind was happy that it was my arm and not anyone else's.

God...why did I sound so possessive? Wasn't Nico just my friend? But, the thought of calling Nico as just my friend didn't seem to settle right in my stomach.


	10. 9) Chapter Nine

"Hey, Earth to Percy!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and glanced at the desk next to me to find light blonde hair and electric blue eyes.

"What do you want?" I whispered fiercely toward him. I was in the middle of my health class, but I wasn't really listening. Actually, I never really pay attention in health class but that's not the point. Something kept coming up in my head and I just really wanted answers. But, nothing was coming up.

"I just need a partner is all," my friend, Jason, huffed. "We're supposed to be discussing...something."

I glanced around the classroom and saw students talking to each other about some health topic that I didn't pay attention to.

"So, what are we talking about?" My gaze landed on Jason.

Jason shrugged. "Don't know. I was half-listening."

I glared at him and he put his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, it wasn't like you were listening either!" Jason snapped, putting his arms down. "And, it wasn't as if I wanted to learn how a baby is born or anything."

"Wait," I paused, "you're telling me the unit we're learning right now is about sex and birth?"

Jason frowned in thought. "Yeah, from what I heard, that sounds about right." He shrugged.

I groaned. "Looks like I won't be paying attention in this class for the rest of the month. Or, whenever this unit ends."

Jason laughed. "Sounds like someone has selective hearing."

I rolled my eyes, kicking Jason in the ankles. "It's not like I want to hear Mrs. Hera talking about sex. She doesn't even like children!"

"I know!" Jason agreed. "She got married to my dad, but it doesn't seem like she's getting pregnant anytime soon. Looks like I'm not going to have any other siblings besides Thalia."

I sighed, glancing at our teacher from across the classroom. "I wish she was. Then she'd have to leave the class to raise the kid when it's born."

Jason chuckled. "I was about to suggest let's get her pregnant but then I realized that sounded really wrong."

"And illegal," I pointed out and we both laughed.

"Does this unit seem to amuse you, Mr. Grace and Blofis?" A sharp voice cut our conversation.

We glanced up at Mrs. Hera, one of the many teachers that hated my guts. She didn't like being called by her last name and I'm pretty sure it was because it reminded her of the two children she has that aren't even related to her. And in fact, one of those children is sitting right next to me.

"Hah, I got a mister in front of my name," Jason teased.

I rolled my eyes, averting my gaze toward Jason. "Maybe it's because, oh, I don't know, she's your mom." I glanced back up at Mrs. Hera. "And, my last name isn't 'Blofis.' It's 'Jackson.'"

Mrs. Hera sighed. "Your father's last name is Blofis, so maybe you should do something about your surname." She walked away to a different pair of students without giving me a chance to say anything.

"I'm glad you're not like that, Jason." I sighed heavily as he chuckled.

"She's not even my real mom. But, I'm still kind of glad I haven't been influenced by her," Jason stated.

I laughed. "Neither has Thalia."

"Okay, she seems just like my dad when he was in his teenage years," Jason remarked. "They both party hard until they wake up in some stranger's bed. Then they stop because they're afraid of it happening again, but the next day they smell like alcohol and sex."

I stared at Jason with an expression of bewilderment. "You seem to know a lot about the topic."

Jason shrugged. "I woke up with her in my bed once."

I blinked blankly until it finally registered in my mind. "Wait,  _what?!_ "

Jason kicked me in the shin. "Shut up for once, Percy. I don't even remember having sex with her. I just woke up and she was kind of there in the nude with her arm around my waist."

"We're your clothes on at least?" I half-asked half-pleaded.

"Yeah, they were." He sighed in relief. "Thankfully they were. When I saw her I screamed like a little girl and Thalia fell off my bed, saying something about me looking like this guy named Luke or something." Jason laughed at the memory.

I smiled awkwardly. "I've always wanted a sibling, but now I think I change my mind."

"You have Tyson!" Jason exclaimed, resulting in a roll of my eyes.

"Oh, yes, Tyson," I said sarcastically. "My older brother who's  _across the fucking country!_ " I heaved a sigh, sliding a hand down my face. Jason slammed his face into his arm

"Okay, okay, I never got to ask you, but who's this Nico guy?" Jason questioned me once he calmed down.

"Nico?" I arched an eyebrow. "Who told you about him?"

"Annabeth did after school yesterday," Jason answered. "Saying something about a guy named Nico who got on her nerves."

I chuckled. "Yeah, Annabeth and Nico don't get along. He's a freshman. He was my best friend in elementary school." My chest began to hurt when I called him "my best friend," but I still didn't know why.

Jason raised both of his eyebrows in amusement. "Really? Did he know Grover then?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we were both friends with him in elementary school." At this point, I had to force the word "friends" out of my mouth.

"And, I'm guessing you were thinking about him," Jason surmised.

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Jason shrugged. "Just a guess from what Annabeth told me yesterday after school."

I furrowed my eyebrows together. "What did she tell you?"

Jason sighed, a smirk plastered on his face as he leaned back in his chair. "Come on, now. It wouldn't be very fun if I told you now, wouldn't it?"

I frowned. "Jason, you of all people should know how much I suck at figuring things out on my own."

Jason chuckled. "Then I guess you won't find out about how you care about Nico a little  _too_ much," Jason hinted before facing the front of the classroom again when Mrs. Hera tried to silence us and pass out the homework.

I took the homework from the person in front of me when they passed it back to me. I stared at the homework sheet on my desk, but none of the words on the paper actually reached my mind. I was too busy trying to figure out what Jason said.

Of course, I cared about Nico too much. He was my friend, of course, I cared about him. I grimaced at my thoughts. I felt like running to the bathroom and emptying out my breakfast in my stomach. Instead, I shut my eyes and took deep breaths, gripping the edge of my seat.

Nico was my  _friend_ , right? Then, why do I feel this way? Why doesn't it feel  _right?_


	11. 10) Chapter Ten

It was lunch time now at my high school. That question had been bothering me ever since last night. I tried to find the answer to it, but that resulted in me losing about four hours of sleep and not knowing what to do in health class so I decided to ask the actual cause of my question: Nico.

_"No one would bother talking to a murderer,"_  he had said.

What did that mean? Surely Nico didn't murder anyone, right? Was it supposed to stand for something? Was it supposed to be some kind of archetype like in English class? God, I was horrible when it came to English class and Nico should've known that from elementary school. Biology and oceanography are where it's at.

What was Nico trying to say last night? It bothered me every time I thought about. It made my head hurt and everything. I wasn't good at thinking, and if I asked Annabeth, I knew things wouldn't turn out very well. Annabeth and Nico didn't get along as I had hoped, but if Annabeth doesn't like a person, then she's never going to like them until the end of time.

I was talking with Annabeth and Grover, trying to get the question out of my mind or push it into the back of my head—whichever worked. Once Nico showed up, I was going to ask him and no one was going to stop me. Wow, I sound like some kind of evil villain or something.

About ten minutes or so passed but Nico still didn't show up. I attempted to scan everywhere around me in hopes of trying to find an Italian guy with dark clothing, but nothing stuck out to me.

"Perce, you okay there?" Grover asked me with an eyebrow raised.

I turned back around to face Annabeth and Grover. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering where Nico is."

"Neeks?" Grover glanced around. His eyebrows soon knit together. "He's not around here."

"Maybe he didn't want to be around us," Annabeth suggested. "He doesn't look like the social type, anyway."

I sighed, shaking my head in denial. "No, he doesn't. But where would he be?"

"Where we found him at first?" Grover suggested.

Annabeth frowned. "I doubt it. We found him there last time for the second time. I don't think he'll be there a third time."

I patted Annabeth's lap, who was sitting on my lap. "Get up; I'm going to go find him."

Annabeth sat up and stared at me with her eyebrows furrowed. "Do you want us to go with you?"

I shrugged. "Come if you want." I bid them my farewells before proceeding to the back of the library building.

* * *

He wasn't there. I  _really_  should've brought Annabeth with me to see where else he could have been. But,  _n_ o, I just had to  _leave_ without her. Nice going, Perseus Jackson.

I was about to walk away when I saw something that freaked the shit out of me.

Why was there a shoe dangling from a nearby tree? To be honest, they were some really nice black and gray  _Adida_ _s_  shoes. Okay, we're really getting off topic now.

I went up to the shoe and—being the stupid guy I am—I pulled on the shoelace. The next thing I knew I had a bruise on my shoulder and pain erupting in the same location.

" _O_ _w_ , what the fuck?!" I cried in anger, glaring upward at the tree.

"Percy?" Hey, I knew that voice from somewhere.

"Nico?" I questioned with an eyebrow raised.

A figure with dark clothing jumped down from the tree and landed in front of me. He stared up at me with narrowed eyes.

"What were you doing in the tree?" I asked.

"What were you doing untying my shoelaces?"

There was a long pause until I replied, "Touché."

He rolled his eyes and glanced at my shoulder. "You okay? I didn't know it was you. Er, sorry...about that." His voice seemed to falter when he apologized to me.

I shook my head and smiled. "It's fine. It's not like you broke my shoulder or anything."

Nico frowned; his intense stare was still on my shoulder. I felt all tingly inside knowing that Nico cared so much about me.

"Look, Nico—I'm fine, really," I repeated, smiling reassuringly down at the black-clothed boy.

He sighed, his dark brown eyes flickering up to me. "If you say so," he said, his voice laced with worry. It was probably the first time I heard him have emotion in his voice other than when he asked us to get his watch back.

"So," he started, "What are you doing here?"

Oh yeah, that totally reminded me of the  _real_  reason for attempting to find Nico.

I chuckled, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, right, about that." I cleared my throat, "You called yourself a murderer yesterday, and it's been bugging me ever since."

Nico's dark brown eyes turned dark and empty like a lifeless animal.

"Why?" He finally asked me. His eyes seemed to be focusing on nothing.

"Why would you call yourself such an ugly word?" I knit my eyebrows. "You didn't do anything wrong, Nico."

"Well, how would  _you_ know?" Nico's voice was becoming louder. " _You_ weren't there in my fifth grade year when I  _stabbed a guy in the fucking chest!_ "

I blinked blankly as my mind just turned off. "W-what?"

His eyes widened from the mistake he made. He glanced away, biting his bottom lip in worry.

"Percy, I-I didn't mean to..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

"Wait, let me get this straight," I said. "You  _stabbed_  him in the chest. You  _literally_  killed him?"

Nico grimaced, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. I was guessing that meant: "Yes, but I  _really_  don't want to talk or even think about it."

I gulped. Nico  _actually_  took someone's life away with his own hands? There had to be some kind of reason behind it, right?

"Why?" I managed after I got through the shock.

He glanced up at me with a frown upon his lips and narrowed eyes. "Why? What do you mean 'why'?"

"There  _had_  to be  _some_  kind of reason that you killed this guy, right?" I clarified. "Even if you changed during the five years we haven't seen each other, I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't stab anyone just because you wanted to."

"Well, how would you know?" Nico challenged with a permanent glare. "I changed a lot more than you could've ever imagined."

"Because," I began, "You seem too... What's the word...  _Traumatized_  about killing him. If you wanted to stab him then you wouldn't be so sensitive about talking about it."

Nico was silent for awhile, but it seemed that he finally came up with a retort.

"Well, what if I killed him and then regretted it afterward, and it's been haunting me ever since?"

"Because Nico di Angelo doesn't do that." The words just spilled out of my mouth, but the sentence sounded right. It was pretty much what I was trying to tell Nico this whole time.

Nico sighed heavily, leaning against the tree that he was just sitting on before. He bit his bottom lip again, and I couldn't help but stare at his lips, wondering if his lips really were as soft as they looked.

He broke my weird train of thought when he started recalling an event. I guessed that he was  _finally_  going to tell me the actual reason.

"It was in fifth grade, as I said before. When you and Grover left to intermediate school, I didn't have any other friends. A lot of people tried to become friends with me, but I knew it was just for my money.

"They knew I was powerless, and I knew it myself. Without you guys to help me, I didn't do anything to oppose them in any way. I was  _stupid_  and  _weak_. They stole my favorite card game, Mythomagic, out of my backpack, and they burned it. I cried and cried, but all they did was make fun of me. They called me a loner. A loser. A crybaby.

"None of the teachers would believe me. They told me that if it happened again, then they would do something about it. But when I told them that it happened again, the teachers never remembered that it happened the first time."

My eyes were wide, and it was as if my breath was just taken out of me. This all happened when Grover and I were away?

"What about your parents?" The question popped into my mind. "Why didn't you tell them?"

Nico clenched his perfectly aligned teeth together. "They..." he stopped himself. "Never mind. Just... Just forget it."

"Nico—" I started, but he cut me off.

"Don't, Percy," he interrupted me. "Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll tell you some other time."

I deeply exhaled. "You never finished your story. What made you...stab him?" It was as if a lump that I couldn't swallow appeared in my throat at the mention of Nico stabbing someone. I just  _couldn't_  even imagine Nico doing something like that. It was  _impossible_.

Nico took a sharp intake. "One day, one of them threatened me with scissors. I knew he would never stab me, so I tried my best to keep myself under control. I was shaking in fear as he talked to me, waving the scissors around as if they could never harm anyone.

"I lost my temper when he threw my most treasured possession onto the ground. He broke it." His voice was reduced to a mere whisper. "He fucking  _broke_  it in front of my goddamn face!"

The gears turned in my head as I tried to figure out what his most prized possession he was talking about. Then, it occurred to me of all of those days when I went to his house and he got really angry whenever I tried to touch a statue on his desk. He told me he didn't want to risk breaking it; it was his favorite thing in the world.

His older sister died when he was really, really young. Nico couldn't even remember what she was like. He only knows what she looked like from photographs. His older sister apparently loved him, and when she died from the flu, she left him a Hades statue designed to be for Mythomagic. But he never used it. Instead, he admired it from where it sat on his desk. He loved that thing so much, and he was always so sad whenever he looked at it because he couldn't even remember what his  _own_  sister was like.

I was so close to tears even though this story didn't even happen to  _me_.

"How... How did they even get it?" I managed to ask after I regained my composure a bit. "It was... It was always on your desk. How did they take it?"

Nico furiously shook his head, and I finally noticed the tears trailing down his cheeks.

"I don't know. I didn't even bother asking. I saw the broken statue by my feet and I just...lost it," he said through gritted teeth. He was visibly shaking, so I walked over to him and embraced him.

He immediately relaxed, but he tensed up soon after in an attempt to get out of my grasp. I held him tighter, and soon Nico just gave up.

"What happened next?" I whispered to him.

"I pushed him onto the ground and tore the scissors out of his hand. Then I—" His voice cracked and he broke out into a sob, clutching the front of my shirt as if his life depended on it. His tears made my shirt become a bit drenched, but I didn't really care. Nico deserved the comfort after what he just told me.

I patted his back in an attempt to comfort him and calm him down. I shoved my nose into his hair, shutting my eyes and breathing in his pomegranate and vanilla scent.

He removed his face from my shirt, glancing up at me with an expression that just broke my heart. His eyes looked as if they could shatter at any minute like glass and tears were still falling down his cheeks. His breathing wasn't normal, but he wasn't sobbing anymore.

"Whenever I glance at my hands, I see blood covering them all over." His hands clutching my shirt shook violently. "It always seemed so... So cold ever since then, as if his ghost was always following me, waiting for an opportunity to strike me down again."

I scanned his face with a worried expression. That explained why Nico always wore a jacket, and why his hands were always in his pockets. He didn't even want to  _look_  at his hands.

I grasped his hand, making Nico widen his eyes. "Don't worry, Nico. I'll clean your hands for you, and I'll chase him away." I smiled sincerely down at him, and the tears started to flow at a faster rate.

He hugged me close, holding me tightly. "Thank you, Percy," he whispered to me.


	12. 11) Chapter Eleven

When he finally calmed down, he pulled away, which really upset me. I wanted to hold him for a little bit longer, which sounded really weird coming from me. Why did I want to hold him for so long?

His body didn't have curves like some girls, but he wasn't super muscular like most guys. It was as if he were made to be the right, huggable size for people. Specifically speaking, he was the right size to hug for me. He was the right size to hold him by his waist and pull him closer toward my body in an attempt to see if his lips were actually as soft as they looked.

I mentally shook my head at those thoughts. What was I thinking? Nico just had this psychological break-down and here I was thinking about how soft his lips were! Wait, why was I even  _thinking_  about how soft they were?

Nico pulled one of his hands out of his jean pockets in an attempt to wipe the tears away, but I caught his wrist with one hand and caressed his cheek with another. He glanced up at me with a surprised expression; he was going to swat my hand away from his face but I held his wrist down.

I wiped his remaining tears away with my thumb. He flinched and tensed up at first, but the more I caressed his cheek, the more relaxed he became. He ended up placing his hand on top of my own as I held his cheek and stared into his soft, dark brown eyes.

His lips were slightly parted, and I couldn't help but let my eyes flicker down toward the half-open entrance. To his mouth where I could've easily slipped my tongue inside.

Okay, Percy, you need to  _really_  stop with these thoughts.

Then again, these thoughts always felt...nice whenever I had them. I usually, deep down inside of me, craved these thoughts more than anything. If what I thought about Nico actually happened in real life, well, my heart would probably explode from happiness. But it still confused me. Slipping my tongue into Nico's mouth—why did that make me feel so  _happy?_

My heart always beat faster than ever when I thought about Nico. My hands would get a little sweaty, but the tingly feeling inside of my chest made up for that. And it always seemed as if I had butterflies in my stomach whenever Nico was nearby or whenever I thought about him.

But why?

Jason told me that I would never find out about how I cared about Nico a little too much. That statement still bothered me though. What would be so  _significant_  about caring for Nico a lot? I mean, didn't friends care and look out for each other when the other one needed it? It didn't make sense to me. Why would Jason have the need to tell me that if he cared about me a lot too?

My head started to hurt from so much thinking. One side of my head was pounding as if a lot of blood was needed to think about the topic that I was thinking about.

I shut my eyes, attempting to make the headache disappear. But I soon reopened them because I didn't want to miss the sight of Nico's gorgeous, chocolate brown eyes. I felt like I could stare at his eyes for the rest of my life, but I would never get bored or unamused.

"Percy, are you okay?" Nico decided to ask me. I guessed I had this "in pain" expression on my face if Nico decided to ask me that.

I nodded, resulting in the pounding of my head to become worse. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit too much...thinking."

"Thinking?" Nico asked with his head slightly tilted to the side. Fuck, he looked  _way_  too adorable like that. Even if he had bloodshot eyes and dried tear tracks on his cheeks, he  _still_  looked adorable to me.

"Yeah." I chuckled. "You know how  _horrible_  I am at thinking, don't you?"

Nico rolled his eyes with a sigh that meant:  _What am I supposed to do with you?_

"Your brain is  _still_  like that?" Nico asked with an exasperated huff.

I softly laughed. "Of course it is, Nico! It's not like I changed very much since elementary school. Wait, did I?"

Nico scanned me from top to bottom, and it felt kind of weird being checked out by one of my own friends. But since it was Nico who was doing it, it didn't feel as weird as I thought it would be. I just felt a little embarrassed that Nico was concentrating and focusing on the smallest details on me as if he were paid millions of dollars to check out Percy Jackson one millimeter at a time.

"You  _definitel_ y look different," Nico commented, his eyes meeting mine. "And, you don't seem as...reckless anymore."

"Reckless?" I questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

He nodded. "You still kind of are. Just a bit less I suppose." He shrugged.

"What is that supposed to mean for me?" I asked for clarification.

"You don't seem like the kind of person to push yourself into a conversation where people are bullying someone anymore," he clarified.

I laughed. "I actually still do that, you know."

He rolled his eyes. "I take that back then. The only thing that's different between you  _now_  and the you from  _elementary school_  is just the way you look because of puberty."

I grinned. "All thanks to puberty, huh?" I chuckled. I was going to say something along the lines of _You look a lot sexier from puberty_ , but I felt as if that was unreasonable to say to one of your friends. It sounded more like a flirty sentence than a regular compliment. And I did not want people to think that I was flirting with Nico. Then again, it felt nice to think about holding hands with Nico and hugging him from behind when I'm in front of other people. I mean, I wanted to show others that Nico is mine, not theirs!

Damn, when did I become so possessive over Nico? I felt like I've already thought of that previous sentence before, now that I think about it...

I blinked, bringing myself back to reality, and the first thing I saw was Nico staring at me as if I were crazy.

"Are you...sure you're okay?" Nico asked slowly.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Looks like I had to make a mental note to slap myself for stuttering now.

Nico frowned, narrowing his eyes. "You seem to be thinking a bit too hard about...something. I still don't know what that 'something' is, but maybe you should stop thinking about  _that_  and think about something  _else_. It looks like it's bothering you a lot."

I smiled. "Thanks, Nico."

He blushed, but he glanced down at the ground in an attempt to hide it, but I already saw how adorable he looked whenever he turned red. Fuck, there goes my manhood again.

I just realized that my hand was still holding Nico's cheek, and his hand was still on top of mine, but I didn't want to mess it up. It felt very... nice to see that Nico actually let me do such a thing.

"Hey," I began to say, "Do you want to hang out with me after school again?"

Nico's eyes widened. "After finding out that I  _stabbed_  someone with scissors, you would still allow me to walk into your house, let  _alone_   _talk_  to you?"

I frowned. "Nico, what you did is pretty much considered as self-defense. It's not like you  _wanted_  to kill him. From what you told me, it didn't sound like you wanted to kill him." My other hand that gripped his wrist slid down so that I was holding his hand. "And, I trust you, Nico. It's not like you stabbed anyone at my house yesterday when you came over, right?"

"I guess so..." Nico mumbled.

"Then come home with me! Will your parents mind?" I said, already looking forward to the time when we are released from the horrible cages called school.

Nico shook his head, fiddling with his toes through his shoes. "No, I don't think my parents will mind."

I grinned, squeezing his hand. "That's great then!" The bell rang as if it were waiting for our conversation to come to an end.

"Well, I'll see you later then, Nico."

He nodded back to me, and we both headed back to our next class.


	13. 12) Chapter Twelve

"Nico, come with me!"

"Then tell me where we're going first!"

"Just come on! It's a surprise!" I tugged on his arm, while his hand was shoved deep into one of his hoodie pockets.

He rolled his eyes and I stopped pulling. My hand was grasping his wrist tightly still, and I had the sudden urge to hold his hand and intertwine my fingers with his instead.

"Fine," he grumbled, finally succumbing to my stubbornness.

I smiled and threw my arm around his shoulders. He glared at me for the sudden action, but I gave him a smirk before leading him to the place where I wanted us to go.

"You know, I have a ton of homework," Nico remarked as we walked along the sidewalk with a few other students that I didn't know existed until now.

I chuckled. "So do I. But we can still do our homework here."

"Where  _are_ we going?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

I sighed. "You really want to know, huh?"

He frowned. "Of  _course_ I want to know. You could be dragging me to some street filled with hardcore gangs and I wouldn't know until we got there."

"A street filled with gangs," I repeated in amusement. "Yes, Nico, I'm  _definitely_  taking you there."

He shrugged. "It could be possible."

I rolled my eyes and patted his shoulder. "I wouldn't think of doing that to you, Nico."

Nico sighed. "Whatever."

I placed my free hand on Nico's wrist, tugging on it. "Take your hand out of your pocket."

He narrowed his eyes up at me. Could he be  _any_ sexier?

I had no idea what I just thought. Just ignore me and pretend that nothing happened.

"Why?" Nico asked me with suspicion evident in his voice.

"Because," I tugged on his wrist again, "I want you to see your hands."

Nico clenched his teeth. "I don't want to," he stubbornly refused.

I stuck my hand into his pocket, making him tense up. I grabbed his hand. It was a lot warmer than I anticipated. Then again, his hands were always in his pockets, away from the coldness of the weather.

I interlocked my fingers with his. "Just take your hands out," I pleaded.

He automatically gripped my hand and took both our hands out of his pocket. He averted his gaze so that he stared at a nearby bush instead.

I halted my steps and he glanced curiously at me. I held up his hands and he grimaced.

"You  _really_ hate your hands, don't you?" I asked him, and he reluctantly nodded. His head was low and his bangs covered his face.

I took my arm off of his shoulders and tilted his head up by his chin. I placed his hand on my cheek. It felt s _o_ _warm_ and  _reassuring_ —like when my mom comforted me to sleep whenever my past step-dad, Smelly Gabe, threw a party in our small apartment when I was little.

His eyes widened and he blushed. He attempted to pull his hand away, but I kept it there.

"There any blood on my face?" I asked with a gentle smile.

Nico's lips slightly parted. He hesitantly looked at his hand, and he smiled. It was a small smile, but it sent my heart racing and caused a fluttering feeling to occur in my stomach.

He shook his head, cupping my cheek with his hand. "No, there isn't."

I caressed his cheek and gave off a sigh. "That's good to hear."

" _Aw,_ aren't you two adorable!"

We immediately pulled away and glanced at the source of the sing-song voice. It was a very beautiful woman with long, dark brown hair and bangs that hung over her face that reminded me of Nico. Her skin was pale just like Nico's, but not deathly pale. Her eyes were large and dark brown. I was so drawn to them that I couldn't even reply. Was this Nico's older sister or what? She looked so similar to Nico; they could've practically been twins if you cut her hair a bit shorter. She wore a black, sleeveless dress with a belt that was pretty much a silver chain. She had elegant, black gloves and leather, black boots that went up to her knees.

"Who are you?" Nico asked cautiously. I was guessing this  _wasn't_  Nico's sister.

"My name's Aphrodite." She nodded at the two of us. "Are you guys together?"

Nico's eyes widened, but I was confused. Of course, we were together. I  _definitely_ didn't want to talk to Nico if he were across the street from me. Being together with him would make our conversations easier, right?

"No!" Nico denied rapidly. I was still as confused as ever, so I didn't say anything.

Aphrodite tilted her head to the side. "Really? In my opinion, you guys would seem very cute together."

I raised an eyebrow. " _What?_ "

Her eyes landed on me. "You have  _quite_ the oblivious boyfriend."

" _Boyfriend?!_ " Nico and I exclaimed simultaneously.

"He has a  _girlfriend!_ " Nico cried.

She chuckled. "So, you guys are just  _friends?_ "

"Yeah, we're just friends," I clarified.  _Now_ I knew what she was talking about.

"Then, you hold your friends close to you and hold their cheeks? Is that a  _thing_ for this generation?"

I thought of doing that with Grover and I immediately frowned. "Er,  _n_ o."

"Why do you do that with him then?" She asked me. "Surely, he's just your  _friend_ , isn't he?"

That word left a salty taste on my tongue, and it left me feeling sick. I didn't know why though. I felt fine whenever I called Grover my friend. What was so different about Nico?

Aphrodite giggled. "I can  _definitely_ see some red between you two. Maybe you're just lying to me because you're both afraid to come out of the closet." She turned around and walked away, the heels on her boots echoing with every step she made.

"I think we'll be seeing each other again, Nico di Angelo and Percy Jackson," she called out to us without bothering to turn around.

I was left completely stunned. What was  _that_ about?

There was a long silence that settled between us as we stared at the spot where Aphrodite left.

I decided to break it. I grabbed his hand he jumped; his train of thought was broken.

"Let's go to where I planned to take you, alright?" I smiled and squeezed his hand, and he only nodded.

I dragged him to where I wanted to take him. It was a hill that I went to whenever I couldn't do homework because of my ADHD. It was a quiet and relaxing place. I haven't even shown Annabeth or Grover this place.

It was named Half-Blood Hill. The name still remained a mystery to me.


	14. 13) Chapter Thirteen

We arrived at Half-Blood Hill. As I expected, there wasn't anyone in sight. Sometimes, on the weekends, I would see people. There wouldn't be very many, but there would be some people here either reading a book or thinking about something in their heads. On weekdays, no one really came because they either had work or they just preferred to go home and sleep in their comfortable bed after a long day of school.

I enjoyed being on Half-Blood Hill. It calmed me down whenever my ADHD started to act up because I mean, who wanted to do homework? At home, I had so many distractions. Here at Half-Blood Hill, the only distraction I had was my thoughts. Sometimes I still got distracted, but at least I didn't have as many distractions as I did at home.

"What I this place called?" Nico asked, scanning the greenery.

The hill had neatly trimmed grass, and there were a few pine trees around. It seemed to stretch on forever, and down below, you could see small buildings that were actually large if you stood next to them.

"Half-Blood Hill," I answered, releasing my grip from his hands. I trudged over to one of the trees and sat down. I patted the spot next to me. "Come sit down with me."

He frowned. "You sure?"

I nodded. "I'm just going to pull you down until you're next to me, you know."

Nico rolled his eyes, but he reluctantly placed himself onto the ground adjacent to me.

I glanced at him and took notice that his hands were in his hoodie pockets again. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and that was when I realized that I was staring at him for a bit too long.

"What?" he grumbled, but I could barely see a splash of pink across his cheeks.

I parted my lips, but it took me awhile to respond. I stared at him for a few more seconds before saying, "Take off your jacket."

" _What?_ " Nico's expression morphed into confusion.

"It's cold, isn't it?" I questioned him, and the gears began to turn in his head when he realized what I meant.

He visibly gulped, his eyes narrowing. "No."

I arched an eyebrow. "No?"

"I'm not taking off my jacket," he clarified.

I heavily sighed. "Nico, I'm trying to  _help_  you."

"I can help  _myself_ _,_  thank you very much," he snapped.

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the tree. "I'm going to rip that jacket off of you and make you wear a Hawaiian shirt instead if you don't take it off willingly."

He scoffed. "Yeah right."

"Trust me on this one, Nico," I said with a smirk. "My dad owns  _plenty_  of Hawaiian shirts."

He clenched his teeth. "You're not going to  _seriously_  make me wear one."

I chuckled. "I'll bring a bright blue one for you tomorrow."

"Your threats are empty."

I glanced thoughtfully up at the peaceful sky. "I think my dad has a bright yellow one, too."

"Your dad doesn't even live with you anymore," Nico countered with a roll of his eyes.

I shrugged. "I visit him sometimes. Maybe that 'sometime' can be later today."

"You're not serious." He frowned.

" _Oh_  Nico, I am  _dead_  serious."

"Prove it to me," he challenged.

"Seeing you in a bright yellow Hawaiian shirt would be the best thing I will  _ever_  see," I said to him. "Why  _wouldn't_  I bring you one?"

Nico's eye twitched. He scowled and glared at me, but in the next moment, his jacket was on the ground next to my hand.

"Happy?" His glare and scowl were still intact.

I chuckled. "Yes, I am. In fact, I am  _very_  satisfied."

He rolled his eyes and hugged himself. My eye found his arm and I already spotted goosebumps.

"Wow," I commented. "You surely get cold easily."

He shot me an even deadlier glare, and I put my hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry," I apologized before his glare became even deadlier.

He rolled his eyes for the millionth time and huffed.

"Okay, how about you stand in the sun?" I suggested, gesturing to the patches of sunlight around us that weren't blocked by multiple pine trees.

"I hate the sun," he put bluntly, grimacing at the mere thought of being in the sun willingly.

I knit my eyebrows together. How was I supposed to get Nico used to this?

"Maybe you're just paranoid," I remarked, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"What?"

"Maybe," I began to explain, "ever since then, you  _thought_  it felt cold when really it was just yourself."

"That was probably the smartest thing you have ever said in your entire life. I hope you recorded that."

I laughed, slapping Nico lightly on the shoulder. "Hey! I can be smart!"

"Whatever you say," Nico brushed my statement aside.

I chuckled. "Don't you think that could be it?"

His gaze became distant as if he wasn't listening anymore. It looked as if he got absorbed into his thoughts and he wasn't paying attention to me anymore.

He surprised me when he actually replied.

"I don't know..." he trailed off.

I crawled over to him and embraced him from behind. Nico immediately tensed up.

"What are you  _doing?_ " He hissed, attempting to push me off.

"Just stop and answer me. Do you feel any warmer?" I questioned him.

He was still tensed up. "Percy—"

"Do you feel any warmer?" I repeated, interrupting whatever he was about to say.

"Let me go," he demanded. It sounded as if he were trying to control all of his anger. Actually, I was pretty sure that was what he was trying to do.

My embrace on him tightened. "Not until you answer me."

"You're going to regret doing this to me," he said through gritted teeth. "What you did at school during lunch. You're going to regret it."

I stayed silent for a while as the same questioned buzzed through my mind.

I finally voiced that one-worded question. "Why?"

"Remember what Aphrodite said?" he asked me.

"Which part?"

He sighed. "You don't normally do this to your friends, do you?"

I shook my head. "That's because none of my friends actually need comforting."

"Would you hug them?" he asked me. "Hold them by the waist. Caress their cheek. Would you do that to them if they needed comforting?"

I thought of Grover. I thought of Jason.

"No, I wouldn't," I answered honestly.

"Then, why do you do it to me?"

"Why are you asking me this?" I decided to ask. I couldn't tell what he was trying to tell me. Why would I regret hugging him?

There was a long pause until his next statement hit me hard.

"Percy, I'm  _gay_."


	15. 14) Chapter Fourteen

I sat there in momentary silence. My grip around Nico loosened. I wasn't really thinking of anything. I guess I was just too  _stunned_ to do anything.

Nico took my silence as a bad sign. He managed to get away from my grip, and the next thing I knew was that Nico was walking down the hill with his hands shoved into his pockets  _again_ _,_ after all the trouble I went into to get his hands  _away_ from pockets or anything he could hide his hands in.

I blinked for a little bit before scrambling up from my spot and dashing toward Nico. I almost football tackled him to the ground when I finally reached him, which was weird because I was in water polo and not football.

Nico stumbled for about two seconds. I guess after having his hands in his pockets 24/7, he's taught himself how to have such great balance because he somehow managed to regain his balance without being forced to take his hands out of his pockets and grab onto the nearest object.

Wait, I think I just said I wanted Nico to hold onto me.

"What are you  _doing?_ " Nico hissed at me, without actually making eye contact with me. I could tell he was attempting to avoid looking at me.

"If you hear me out, I'll let you leave if you want," I panted. Man, Nico can walk down hills  _fast._ Either that or he just  _really_ wanted to get away from me. I was hoping it was explanation number one and not number two.

He was silent for a while before he spun around and faced me.

Shit, I didn't prepare myself for what I was going to tell him, did I?

"Well?" Nico asked me with a slightly frustrated expression on his face. He was glaring at me, and I couldn't tell if it was on purpose.

I sharply inhaled. "Look, I don't care if you're gay or not." I noticed that Nico's shoulders relaxed, but they were still a bit tensed. His glare also disappeared, to my relief.

"Then why..." he trailed off, waiting for me to say something.

"I guess you can say that I was...shocked," I explained. "I was  _not_ prepared for a confession like that."

He rolled his eyes but he didn't say anything. I guessed it was a sign that I could continue.

I grabbed his wrists and pulled them out of his pockets, and I was surprised that he didn't even try to resist as I dragged them out into the sunlight. For the first time since I did it, he actually glanced at his hands.

"What do you see?" I asked him, flipping his hands over so his palms faced the baby blue sky.

His eyes darted around all over the surface of his hands, but he chose to not say anything.

"Tell me the truth," I said sincerely to him, offering a small smile.

Without making eye contact, he said, "It looks like half of the blood that used to be there is gone."

I raised an eyebrow, but I soon smiled. "Really?"

He nodded, a frown on his face. "Still looks pretty bloody..."

I chuckled. "But hey, it looks better, right?"

He nodded once more. "I...guess. What does my hand look like to you?"

"To me?" My gaze averted down to his hands. I smiled. "There isn't any blood that I can see." I flipped his hands over. "They're clean. Nothing on them, really. And your hands are  _really_ soft." I held onto his hands. "Maybe you'll be able to see your hands like this someday."

He gave me a soft smile. It was only a small one, but it still sent my heart racing. I was  _very_ glad I said the right words to him.

"Yeah, maybe," Nico said quietly.

"I mean, half of it is gone now," I smiled at him. "Are you going to leave now that I'm done talking?"

He rolled his eyes and his shoulders relaxed. "No, I'm not."

My smile turned into a grin. "Really? That's great! I still need to work on my homework. And, it'll seem kind of lonely if I were here alone."

Nico frowned. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that."

I shrugged. "Yeah, it kind of just came to me."

He sighed exasperatedly and started up the hill, pulling me along with him. I chuckled and followed him up Half-Blood Hill to where our backpacks were by the pine tree.

You know, I don't know if the person who named this hill had the same experience as I did, but half of the blood on Nico's hand disappeared on Half-Blood Hill. Maybe that was where the name came from. Who knows? I surely don't.


	16. 15) Chapter Fifteen

I walked Nico home when it started to become dark outside. I always glanced at Nico every few minutes to make sure that his hands weren't in his pockets. I let him wear his jacket because it was fall now, so the weather was becoming colder. He's lucky for that. When it's summer, I'm definitely making him take off that jacket. I wonder if he even wore his jacket when it was summer. What kind of crazy person would do such a thing?

"Hey, Nico," I began to say. I glanced at him and was met with gorgeous dark brown eyes.

"What?" he asked me with narrowed eyes. "My hands are out of my pockets so you can't criticize me for that."

I chuckled as my gaze went down to his hands by his sides. "I wasn't going to say anything about that." My eyes found his again. "I was just thinking... Do you wear your jacket in the summer?"

Nico frowned. "Yeah, why?"

My eyes slightly widened. "You wear your jacket still when it's super hot?!" I sighed exasperatedly. "Please tell me the sleeves are rolled up at least?"

He shrugged and shoved his hands into his jean pockets, making me  _very_ irritated.

"Well, why should they be?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "I told you, I'm cold 24/7."

"In the  _summer?_ " I emphasized, and he nodded.

I frowned at him and halted in my tracks. He stopped and turned around, his eyebrow still raised.

"What did I tell you  _not_ to do?" I asked him as if I was asking a little child to stop eating all the candy.

"What...did you tell me not to do?"

I stared at him for a long time to see if he would notice. He frowned and shifted uncomfortably under my gaze.

"Stop looking at me like that," he mumbled, and I couldn't help but notice the slight tint of pink splashed on his cheeks.

I smiled in amusement. "You're doing something that's  _really_ annoying me, Nico."

He blinked at me momentarily, and I could see the gears slowly turning his head. Was this how Annabeth felt whenever she asked me something and it took me a long time to reply?

Nico soon realized what I was talking about. He ripped his hands out of his jean pockets and I laughed.

" _Finally!_ " I exclaimed, and he rolled his eyes and slapped my chest.

"Shut up," he grumbled, a vicious glare directed in my direction.

I smirked and threw my arm around his shoulder, pulling him along.

"Do you live in the same house as you did before?" I questioned him with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, but my dad is usually at work by the time I come home," he explained, and I nodded slowly in understanding.

I asked, "So does that mean you're usually home with your mom and sister?"

"Yeah, most of the time anyway," Nico answered, twiddling with his fingers.

I chuckled. "You really need more men in that house of yours."

He raised both of his eyebrows, twisting his silver skull ring on his index finger. "Hm, really? I've gotten used to it. And anyway, all Bianca does is sit in her room all day either doing homework or talking to her friends from her private school."

"Oh yeah," I said. "Weren't you supposed to go to that school too?"

"Yeah," he simply answered. "I was going to go to Olympus High with Bianca, but since you and Grover went to Yancy, my mom let me go there."

His ring slipped off of his finger and rolled down the sidewalk. I stared at it, removing my arm from his shoulders while Nico kicked it up into the air and caught it in his hands.

"Why do you even play with your ring?" I questioned him. "It's just going to keep falling off your finger, you know."

He shrugged, slipping the ring back onto his index finger. "I don't know. I mean, I don't do it on  _purpose._  It just...happens I guess."

He shifted his feet together nervously, but Nico didn't seem very nervous to me so I pushed the thought aside.

"It just...happens automatically?" I asked for reassurance and he nodded.

After a few moments, Nico called, "Hey, are we going or not?"

I blinked blankly at him before I realized that I hadn't even moved from my spot on the sidewalk.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right. Let's go." I smiled sheepishly, throwing my arm around his shoulders again and dragging him along with me.

Nico rolled his eyes and came along. He wasn't playing with his skull ring anymore. I still wondered why he played with it anyway. I mean, he says that it just "happens," but it didn't seem like it to me. He wasn't playing with his silver skull ring at the moment so maybe there was some kind of reason to it.

I sighed quietly to myself, hoping that Nico wouldn't hear me. There were a  _whole_ lot of mysteries to Nico di Angelo. There were a bit  _too_ many for my brain to handle. Why did Nico feel like hiding so many things from me? Why couldn't he just tell me?

We arrived in front of a familiar-looking house. I remembered coming to this house multiple times to ask Nico's parents if I could play with him. Those were such good times. I wonder if I'll be able to go back to those days where I could just come over and ask Nico if he wanted to hang out or something. Maybe I should bring those days back.

Nico shrugged my arm off of his shoulders and trudged up to the front door. "Thanks for walking back here with me."

I shrugged, a bright smile plastered on my face. "No problem, Neeks the Angel."

He rolled his eyes. "You  _still_ remember that nickname?"

"Grover called you it once yesterday." I chuckled. "Why can't I call you it?"

"Oh please," Nico said, "I never said that."

"So," I started, "does this mean I could call you Neeks the Angel now?"

Nico frowned and sighed heavily. "Whatever you want, Perce."

My stomach did some kind of gymnastic flip when I heard him call me by the nickname Grover made up in elementary school  _years_ ago. I couldn't believe he actually remembered it. And it made me feel happy inside knowing that.

"Still remember my nickname too?" I asked him nonchalantly, even though on the inside I was a squealing mess.

"Why shouldn't I?" Nico smirked. He inserted the key into the designated spot and twisted it, opening the door. "See you tomorrow, Perce."

I chuckled. "Bye, Neeks."


	17. 16) Chapter Sixteen

I dumped my backpack down onto the floor of my bedroom. My room was pretty much all blue, but the floor was polished wood because I would just get dizzy from so much blue. One of my walls was a giant mirror, and if you slid the mirror to the side you'd get a closet behind it filled with my mostly- blue clothes.

My bed sheets were blue, but my blanket was black for some odd reason. Blue on top of blue just didn't seem right to me, but I had no clue as to why I picked the color black for my blanket. You know, just staring at the blanket, it reminded me so much of Nico because of his dark clothing.

Actually, being wrapped up in a blanket that reminded me of Nico wouldn't be so bad...

I shook my head back and forth. Why did I keep having these weird thoughts? I mean, Nico was my... Wow, this was depressing— I couldn't even say it without feeling sick to my stomach. Why? Maybe I just ate my dinner too fast and now my stomach is getting the time to digest it finally digesting it. Yeah, that must be it. But, it always seemed to happen whenever I tried to call Nico the "F" word." And no, I'm not calling him a "fucker." That would be just plain mean. I'm not  _that_  mean.

Maybe I should go ask my mom to see what's happening.

I glanced at my backpack full of all the homework I didn't feel like doing it. I couldn't finish it all when I was on Half-Blood Hill with Nico earlier. It got dark a lot faster than I thought it would. Nico ended up getting his homework done way before I could, and he was even helping me on my homework. He really is an intelligent person.

My gaze averted fell toward my white bedroom door. It The door was wide open as of if beckoning me to go downstairs and procrastinate on my homework by asking Mom why my stomach always felt weird. Maybe I could be sick?

My mom was probably downstairs washing the dishes and stuff from our dinner a few minutes ago. I didn't want to disturb her from her cleaning, but then again, I wanted to disturb distract myself from doing my homework. Homework was such a pain. School would be ten times better without it.

I stared through the entrance of my bedroom into the empty hallway that leading to the stairs that could bring me far, far away from my the wretched homework that I didn't feel like completing. I would get yelled at for not bothering to do my homework at all, but I can do it later, right?

I sighed quietly to myself. If only Nico was were here. He was such a genius. He could probably finish my homework in under ten minutes without even having to learn the material in an actual class. I mean, he already helped me on most of my homework, so he could've probably done my homework by himself. Don't get the wrong idea; I don't plan on making Nico do my own homework. After all, he was my... _friend_.

Wow, that did  _not_  sound right in my head at all. Maybe I should just go ask my mom and get it all over and done with.

I continued to stare out into the hallway. When I glanced back at my ocean blue backpack, I remembered about the amount of homework I still had left.

Yeah, I'm  _definitely_  going to be procrastinating today.

I laughed quietly to myself. I always end up not doing my homework. I mean, I have  _better_  ways to spend my night.

I stepped outside my room without bothering to shut my bedroom door. I hopped down each step leading into the living room, and I spotted my step-dad, Paul, laying across the couch with a novel called  _Fahrenheit 451_  in his hands by some dude named Ray Bradbury. I was pretty sure that was my book from when I read that book in ninth grade. I don't even remember the book all that well. Something about firemen who  _started_  fires instead of stopping them...

Paul glanced up from the pages of his novel which burned at 451 degrees Fahrenheit. That was probably the only thing I learned from that book. How depressing... Then again, I wasn't exactly smart when it came to English class. That was Annabeth's thing.

"Hello Percy," Paul greeted once he found me by the base of the staircase.

"Hey." I offered him a grin. "Is Mom in the kitchen?"

He nodded in response. "Have you been doing your homework?" Paul decided to ask me.

I chuckled nervously, thinking of a way to completely avoid the question. "Mom's in the kitchen? Alright, thanks!" I made a mad dash into the kitchen, and I could hear Paul laughing quietly to himself before he most likely went back to sticking his nose into the book.

When I finished my escape into the kitchen, I found my mom by the sink, humming some kind of tune that I was pretty sure I heard in a park one day when this guy was playing it on his violin. That guy was pretty talented when it came to the violin. If only I actually bothered talking to him.

As I suspected, she was washing the dishes, utensils, and cups from our most recent communion. She was almost done, so at least when I bother her, she wouldn't have to do very much after I'm done talking to her.

"Hey, Mom!" I called out to her, grabbing her attention.

Her beautiful humming stopped-—much to my dismay—-and she glanced over her shoulder and grinned.

"Hi, Percy. You need something or did you just come by to say 'hi'?'" She asked me, turning her head back so she could focus on scrubbing the dishes.

"I wanted to ask you something," I explained.

She flipped the switch on and the rushing of water followed. "Did you want me to stop and sit down with you?"

I shook my head, which seemed absolutely ridiculous because she wasn't even looking at me. "No, you don't have to." I leaned against the dining table, placing the palms of my hands on the glass top to keep my balance.

My mom shrugged. "Whatever you want, Percy. So, what did you want to ask me?"

I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows and attempting to think of a way to put my thoughts into words. "I guess...I just feel weird whenever I try to call Nico my  _friend_." I had to force the bitter word out of my mouth. It left such a sour taste on my tongue even though it was just a word.

Sally hung a dish on the dish rack to let it dry. "Weird? How so?"

I glanced up at the ceiling. "Well, I just don't feel right. Whenever I say the word, it leaves such a bitter feeling taste in my mouth. And my stomach doesn't feel right whenever I call him that." My eyes landed on the back of her head. "I was hoping you'd know why I feel like that? I thought that maybe I was getting sick, but I found it weird that it only happened whenever I called Nico a... _that_."

She chuckled. "A  _that_ ," my mom repeated with amusement lacing her voice.

I laughed. "Yeah. Nico's a  _that_."

Sally hung another dish onto the dish rack. "Percy," she began, her voice getting a more serious tone to it. "Would you mind getting Paul for me?"

I arched an eyebrow, and I nodded slowly which was also pretty stupid because she  _still_  wasn't looking at me.

"Yeah, sure," I replied before exiting the kitchen and finding myself back in the living room.

Paul glanced up again from his novel. "I just finished  _The Sieve and The Sand._  Whatever you have to say, it better be more important than reading part three of this book." He held up  _Fahrenheit 451_  and waved it slightly in the air.

I rolled my eyes, cracking a smile.

Paul chuckled. "I'm just kidding. Go ahead, Percy."

"Mom wants to talk to you," I said, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Sally?" He questioned for clarification, and I nodded.

He sighed quietly and nodded. Paul got up from his place on the comfortable couch and was about to enter the kitchen., But, he turned around instead and said to me, "Go do your homework, Perseus Jackson." Then he disappeared into the kitchen.

I groaned to myself. What did my mom have to say to Paul after I finished my explanation of how weird I felt whenever I called Nico a... Yeah, I hope you guys get the idea by now because I still can't say it without feeling unnatural.

I dragged myself up into my room and roughly sat down in my chair by my homework desk. I didn't feel like doing my homework, but I guess I didn't really have a choice anymore. The topic of my mom's and Paul's conversation is going to stick in my brain for forever until I find out what they were talking about. My ADHD was  _definitely_  going to act up.

I sighed exasperatedly before grabbing my favorite pencil and my backpack, setting my textbooks and notebooks onto the black homework desk.

All I knew was that it was going to be a  _long_  night of homework and daydreaming.


	18. 17) Chapter Seventeen

It was the next day and school was going to start soon. My mom still hadn't told me why my stomach felt weird whenever I called Nico my  _friend._ Honestly, the word left such a sour taste in my mouth just by saying and thinking about it. Maybe I should go talk to Annabeth about this. Even though I knew that things wouldn't turn out very well since she didn't favor Nico much, it didn't hurt to at least try, right?

Annabeth was probably where Grover and I always were during snack and lunchtime. So, I decided to make my destination there and ask Annabeth to see what was wrong with me. Wow, I make it sound as if I was mental.

I shouldered my backpack and trudged along the tan pathway of the school that was surrounded by grass and... More grass. There weren't many flowers, but there was an assortment of trees that were here and there to provide shade for those who liked to spend their time there.

I yawned and almost ran into a certain blonde-haired guy.

"Watch where you're going, Percy." he chuckled as I stumbled.

"Shut up," I muttered. "Do you know where Annabeth is by any chance?"

"Annabeth?" He arched an eyebrow. "She's with Piper right now. Why?"

I shrugged. "Wanted to ask her something, that's all."

"If you say so," he said. "She's where you usually sit at lunch, by the way."

I smiled. "Thanks, Jason."

"No problem," he returned the smile along with a nod. I turned around to walk over to Annabeth when I heard Jason call out to me. I stopped in my tracks, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Did you ever find out what I meant when I said that you cared about Nico  _too_ much?" He asked me from a few feet away.

I shook my head, turning myself back around. "Nope. Not even in the slightest. Although I have to ask Annabeth something that involves Nico."

Was that amusement that twinkled in Jason's electric blue eyes? Maybe I was imagining things.

"Really?" Jason asked, a smile forming on his lips. "And what might you be asking Annabeth on this fine day?"

I knit my eyebrows together at the way Jason talked. Was I missing something here?

I frowned. "I wanted to ask Annabeth why my stomach felt weird whenever I called Nico my..." It took awhile to form the word on my tongue, but I eventually got it. " _Friend._ " Oh look, there comes the sour taste in my mouth.

Jason's smile turned into one mischievous smirk. "Really? What do you think of that?"

I shrugged hopelessly. "I don't know. I even taste this kind of sour taste in my mouth whenever I say it."

He chuckled. "Interesting... Have you told anyone else about this other than me?"

"I told my mom yesterday," I answered him. "She told me to go get Paul and they went on talking about something that I couldn't hear because Paul forced me to go and do homework instead."

He nodded slowly in understanding. "I see... Well, maybe you should go and talk to Annabeth now, huh? School's going to start soon, so you better hurry."

I nodded. "Yeah, of course." I was about to turn around again when a question popped into my mind. "Have you seen Nico around anywhere? Do you know if he's at school today?"

Jason shrugged. "I've never seen Nico before. Annabeth's talked about him to me, but that's about all I even know about the guy. Sorry, bro."

I shook my head, offering him a smile. "Nah, it's fine. See you in health class, bro."

Jason chuckled shortly. "See you later."

* * *

I found Annabeth and surely enough, she was with Piper McLean, Jason's girlfriend. They were usually always together with their other best friend, Leo Valdez, but Leo was nowhere in sight. Maybe that was where Jason was going. He could be going around the school to find Leo while Piper kept Annabeth company since I wasn't there and Grover usually arrived late to school.

I approached them, and from only a few feet away, I could tell that they seemed to be in the middle of a very deep conversation. I had no idea what to do. Should I just interrupt them? Should I just leave and ask Annabeth later? I could always wait. It seemed very rude to interrupt them just so that I could ask a question that could be put off for later.

I turned around and began to walk away. I figured that I could go and find Nico now that I had the time, and maybe test and see if I had any more weird thoughts involving him, but Piper's voice stopped me. Apparently, she found me before I had the chance to leave.

I whirled back around, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, Piper." Annabeth didn't seem to make eye contact with me, nor did she even bother to at least give me a greeting. Now I  _really_ felt like I was missing something.

"Hey!" She called to me. "Did you need Annabeth now?"

Annabeth's gaze shot up from her lap and she turned to Piper, but I couldn't see her expression from where I was standing.

I shook my head to answer her question. "You guys seem to be in a very... Important conversation. I can come back later if you want."

Piper shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll give her back, so don't worry."

I chuckled. "Yeah, sure."

I turned back around and walked away. What was that about? Why wouldn't Annabeth look at me, let alone talk to me? Something was  _very_ wrong with today, and I wasn't looking forward to experiencing the rest of the day. Was there something wrong with Nico and Grover as well? Nothing seemed to be wrong with Piper, so maybe it was the same with them.

I thought  _way_ too soon when I turned a corner and found Grover there just coming from the school parking lot. Yeah, if Grover came to school on time, there was  _definitely_ something wrong.

He glanced up from his phone screen and grinned. "Hey Perce!"

I mirrored his grin. "Hey, G-man."

He finally reached me, and his grin was still intact. "So, what's up? Is Nico here?" He looked behind me as if I was hiding Nico behind my back or something.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I don't know. I haven't seen him yet, but I have a feeling that he's somewhere here."

"I hope he's here," he said, and I nodded in agreement.

"Where would he even be in the morning?" I questioned, and Grover shrugged.

"Who knows anymore?"

"Nico does," I remarked.

He laughed. " _Very_ true, Perce. I have to go to my locker, so I'll see you later, alright?"

I nodded and gave him a high-five. "Yeah. By the way, why did you come to school so early?"

Grover arched an eyebrow at me and shrugged. "Don't know. Although knowing the time that I usually get to school, I'm pretty sure that school's going to start very soon."

The bell rang and Grover and I laughed.

"What did I say?" he asked to no one in particular while laughing. "See you at snack, Perce!" He ran off toward his locker as I turned around and made my way toward my first horrible class of the day.


	19. 18) Chapter Eighteen

It was now that twenty-minute break the school had after we experience two torturous classes. I planned to look for Annabeth again to ask her about what was wrong with me. Man, I make it sound as if I were mental or something.

I met Grover on the way to where we usually sat, but when we arrived there, Piper was talking with Annabeth again. I didn't know whether to interrupt their conversation and ask Annabeth. I mean, my question was starting to bother me the longer I waited for the answer.

"Should we just go up and join the conversation?" Grover leaned over and whispered to me.

I shrugged. "Annabeth wouldn't look at me this morning."

"Huh," Grover said thoughtfully. "Weird."

I felt a light touch on my shoulder blade and I turned around, expecting it to be some kind of branch from a nearby tree or something, but what I saw surprised me even more.

"Nico?!" I exclaimed in a hushed voice.

He arched an eyebrow at me. "Why are you talking so quietly?"

Grover turned around as well, and his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Neeks! You're here!"

"Why are you guys talking so quietly?" Nico asked us again in a quieter voice.

"Forget that!" I brushed the question aside. "You're  _actually_ here!"

He knit his eyebrows together. "Why does this seem more significant than my question?"

"Because you're  _here!_ " Grover exclaimed pretty vaguely.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Nico asked us for probably the fifteenth time.

"You're  _never_ here," I explained to him. "You're usually behind the library building or something where pretty much no one goes."

"Yeah," Grover agreed. "I mean, who likes the library?"

"I do," Nico remarked blankly.

"Oh." Grover scratched his neck awkwardly. "Well, besides Neeks."

"Annabeth does," I pointed out.

Grover sighed exasperatedly. "Am  _I_ the  _only_ one who hates reading?!"

"Nah, I hate reading," I stated as I high-fived Grover, and I caught Nico rolling his eyes.

"Percy?" I heard Annabeth ask from where she sat. I guess my high-five with Grover was too loud.

I turned around to face Annabeth and grinned. "Hey, Annabeth. Hey, Piper." I nodded toward them.

"Hey!" Piper called from her seat next to my girlfriend. "Come on over!"

We all obliged, and so we approached them. Well, except for Nico. He was hanging around behind Grover and me as we arrived there.

"Is  _that_ Nico?" Piper asked in slight awe, peeking behind my body at none other than my childhood friend, Nico di Angelo.

"Yeah." I arched an eyebrow. "How'd you know?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Just a guess. Jason's told me about him. He says you might be...  _Obsessed_  with him. Get my drift?"

Both of my eyebrows rose. "No, I don't  _get your drift_."

She laughed. "How did you end up with such an oblivious person, Annabeth?"

Annabeth slightly grimaced, but she hid it with a chuckle. "Who knows?"

My eyebrows furrowed together. "And I  _still_  don't know what you guys are even talking about."

Piper smirked. "Maybe you'll find out someday." She glanced behind me to the person who was camouflaging in the darkest shadows. "So, Nico, heard you've been friends with Grover and Percy since elementary school?"

He nodded silently, shoving his hands into his jean pockets which made me  _very_  irritated. I just wanted to strip him of all his clothing so he wouldn't be able to hide his hands into anything. Now that I think about it, it seemed really tempting to strip Nico of all his clothing and pin him to a wall while the only sounds are his moans next to my ear. I glanced behind at Nico and I could already imagine his face contort with pleasure.

Sorry, did I think of something just now?

Piper smiled. "You're a pretty quiet guy. My name's Piper McLean."

He nodded again. "And, well, you already know my name."

She chuckled. "Finally talking now?"

Annabeth abruptly stood up, and we all turned to stare at her.

She tore her gaze from the floor to stare back at us. "Sorry." She chuckled nervously. "I just remembered that I had to go check out a book at the library. Piper, can you come with me?"

Piper's eyebrows rose. "Huh? Oh, yeah, sure! I'll come along." She stood up from her spot on the bench and glanced at us. "See you guys later!"

"See you later," I said, but a question popped up in my head. "Oh, wait! Annabeth, I have a question I need to ask you."

She arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It's... Not exactly a quick question." I frowned.

"Okay then." She shrugged. "I'll just get my library book and then we'll talk about it, okay?"

I nodded. "Right. See you later then."

"Bye!" Grover smiled at the two girls.

"Bye Grover." Piper mirrored the smile while Annabeth nodded. They both departed toward the library building right after that.

A long silence followed between us, but surprisingly, Nico was the one who broke it.

"Did you notice?" he asked out loud to both of us even though it seemed as if he directed the question to only one person.

"Notice what?" Grover questioned obliviously.

"She was lying," Nico answered with a sharp gaze directed toward the spot where Annabeth was just standing in before.

"How'd you know?" I raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "I could tell. I've lied a lot, so maybe that's why I knew. She also seemed a bit too tense for the average person."

"Man, you sound just like Annabeth!" Grover cried. He soon started to laugh, puzzling both Nico and me.

"What... Are you laughing at?" Nico reluctantly asked, followed by a sigh.

"I mean, you're just like Annabeth, right?" Grover repeated, but as a question instead. We both slowly nodded in response.

"Well, what if you, Perce, dated Neeks since he's just like your girlfriend!" Grover exclaimed. He chuckled to himself. "Man, how weird would that be? My two best friends making out with each other." He glanced between Nico and me. "Actually, I can actually see you being the dominant one, Perce."

My eyes were wide, and I was pretty sure my face was red. I could feel Nico freeze up behind me as his shoulders became tense. I didn't even bother looking at Nico's expression. I felt like my face would become an even deeper shade of red, so I decided not to risk looking at him.

Grover raised an eyebrow. "What's with your guys' reactions?" There was a short pause before he exclaimed, "Don't tell me you guys really  _are_  dating! You should've told me!"

" _What?!_ " Nico and I yelled simultaneously.

"Woah, woah,  _woah_ , slow down there." Grover backed up a little from surprise. "Was I wrong? Because I don't think I've ever heard Neeks say something that loud before."

"Yes, Grover. You were  _way_  off," Nico denied harshly. He didn't have to deny it so quickly. For some reason, it hurt when Nico said that, and the weird feeling in my stomach returned again. I risked a glance at Nico, and there was a cold glare attached to his dark brown eyes.

"Sorry, sorry." Grover chuckled again. "I can picture it, okay? You sitting on Perce's lap and making out with him until you can't breathe anymore..."

It was weird because I could picture the same thing in my mind. In fact, most of my brain was telling me to start making my fantasies a reality.

And did I  _really_  just call making out with Nico a fantasy? I decided to push the thought aside and think about it another time.

Nico flinched. "Can you  _not_  talk about that anymore?" he snapped. I didn't get why Nico was getting so emotional and angry about it. He should know that Grover liked to joke around, right?

"Okay, alright." Grover raised his hands in surrender. He glanced to his right where Annabeth and Piper originally were as he lowered his hands back to his sides. "You know, it's taking a  _really_  long time for them to get a book. I mean, no one's in the library unless it's finals week!"

"Maybe they decided to do something else?" I suggested. "I think they decided to go to their lockers or something. The next period's going to start soon anyway."

Grover shrugged. "True enough. I guess we won't see them until lunch then. Maybe I should head to my locker too. See you guys later."

Nico and I bid our farewells to Grover before he ran off toward his locker.

I glanced at Nico and I immediately knew what to do first. I approached him and ripped his hands from out of his jean pockets.

"Don't—hide—your—hands— _ever_."

He sighed as he purposely avoided looking at them. "Sorry," he mumbled.

I chuckled. "It's fine, Neeks."

Nico rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Yeah, yeah."

I smiled. "You want to come with me to my locker?"

He frowned, shrugging. "Whatever you want."

"What would you have done if I went to my locker without you?" I decided to ask out of the blue.

Nico shrugged once more. "I'd probably just sit in the tree behind the library building as usual."

"What do you even do where you're up there?" I questioned curiously, knitting my eyebrows together.

"I listen to my iPod," Nico answered. "Or sometimes, I just like sitting up there and thinking of nothing in particular."

"Thinking of what?" I asked.

There was a long pause until Nico said, "Didn't you want to go to your locker? Snack is going to end soon."

"Oh yeah!" I chuckled. "Come on."

I swung my arm around Nico's shoulders and led him over to my locker. Was it weird to say that I enjoyed being so close to Nico? Well, I did, and I didn't know  _what_  to think of it.


	20. 19) Chapter Nineteen

It was lunch now. I  _still_ needed to ask Annabeth about calling Nico my...  _Friend._ Gods, the word tasted so bitter in my mouth.

I reached the area where Annabeth was usually located and my arm was immediately seized by none other than the person I was trying to look for.

I glanced at her with a surprised expression, but my eyebrows soon knit together when I saw the furious expression on Annabeth's face.

"Annabeth?" I asked cautiously, but my arm was harshly tugged in the opposite direction.

"Let's go," she said in an otherwise normal voice.

"Where are we going?" I hurriedly questioned as she pulled me toward wherever she planned to take me. I glanced behind my shoulder at the spot Annabeth came from and found a depressed-looking Piper McClean.

What was going on with those two?

* * *

We ended up behind the library building. Annabeth released my arm and I instinctively pulled back as if she were covered in poison.

"Annabeth," I began, "what happened with you and—"

She raised a hand to stop me. "I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled.

"Are you sure?" I asked her slowly, and she nodded.

"Yeah," she simply replied. "I plan on telling you, so don't worry."

I nodded. "So why are we back here? What happened to Grover?"

She blinked blankly and soon chuckled nervously. "Yeah, Grover. Well..."

"You forgot about him," I finished for her, and she nodded, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Anyway," I said, "why are we back here?"

"I need to talk to Nico," she answered, and my eyebrows shot up.

"You need to talk to  _Nico?_ " I repeated incredulously. "That's a first."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and playfully slapped my chest. "Oh be quiet."

I scanned the area, checking to see where Nico was. Unfortunately, he was nowhere in sight.

"Do I have to leave when you talk to him?" I questioned, and she shook her head in response.

She huffed, "Where is he? He's always back here."

I heard something clatter to the floor and I looked at the source of the noise. A black pen.

I raised an eyebrow, but when I approached, a searing pain roared in my shoulder. I flinched and glared up at the tree, only to find the person I was looking for glare back.

"Why do you keep  _doing_ that?" I whined, rubbing my shoulder as my glare disappeared.

"Why do you keep trying to take my stuff?" he remarked. "First my shoelaces, now my pen?"

He jumped down from the tree and removed an earphone from his right ear, shoving it into his pocket. He kicked his pen up into the air and caught it like he did when he dropped his ring onto the sidewalk yesterday.

"What are you doing? Homework?" I arched an eyebrow as I glanced at the papers he was holding. The title was  _Depression._

"Just writing for fun," he muttered.

I frowned. "Sounds like a tragedy or something like that."

"Sorry. I write sins, not tragedies, Miss Jackson," he smirked before shoving the papers and his pen into his backpack after zipping it open.

My eyes slightly widened. " _Miss_  Jackson?"

"Ever heard of  _Panic! at the Disco?_ " He questioned me with a raised eyebrow, and I nodded, recalling the band name.

"It's a song they wrote. Along with  _I Write Sins, Not Tragedies._ "

I chuckled. "Wait, so  _are_  there actually sins in whatever you're writing?"

He nodded. "Yeah, there are."

I raised an eyebrow. "What  _kind_ of sins?"

A thoughtful expression crossed his face before he answered, "There're sins at the end, I guess. But the kind of sin... Well, it starts with 'S' and it has the same number of letters as 'sin.'"

I frowned. "Starts with an 'S' and it has three letters. It's also sinful..." I sighed exasperatedly in defeat. "I don't know."

He chuckled. "Maybe you'll find out sooner or later."

Annabeth approached us; her gaze was glued onto Nico.

He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to speak.

She inhaled sharply. "I need to talk to you."

"To me?" he asked, and Annabeth nodded. "Is Percy going to listen?"

Annabeth nodded once more. "Yeah, he is. I'll have to tell him sooner or later."

I was still as confused as Percy Jackson could ever be. What was she talking about? What did she have to tell me? And why did she have to ask the person that she didn't even like?

Nico knit his eyebrows together. "For some reason, I think I know where this is going."

Annabeth smiled. "Really? Where do you think this conversation is heading?"

"It has something to do with the fact that I'm gay, right?" Nico said, and to my surprise, Annabeth nodded. How did she even know Nico was gay? As far as I know, I didn't tell  _anyone_ when I found out yesterday.

Nico clicked his tongue. "Of course. I know  _exactly_ where this is heading now."

She chuckled. "You took the chance and told me a secret?"

He shrugged. "Knowing you, you probably found out a while ago."

"Wait," I interrupted, drawing their attention toward me. " _How_ did Annabeth even know?"

She smirked. "Percy, I'm a pretty smart person. It was just a guess in my head, but I didn't know if I was right until now."

I sighed. "Of course your guesses are always right."

Annabeth grinned. "Of course they are." Her gaze went to Nico and her grin disappeared. "I want to ask you some things."

His eyes narrowed. "It depends on what you want to ask me."

"How did you get used to it?" Annabeth asked him. "Getting used to that change... How did you come to terms with it anyway?"

Nico was silent for a long time. His lips made a thin line, and his shoulders were tensed.

He parted his lips, but his response didn't come until much later: "I never did get used to it. That's just the harsh, cold truth."

Annabeth's eyes softened. "That's normal, Nico. Don't beat yourself up for it."

"So?" Nico's eyes bore into Annabeth's gray ones. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Don't you know already?" Annabeth questioned, but he shrugged in response.

"I'm not like you Annabeth. My guesses aren't always correct."

She chuckled in amusement. "How do you know that?"

"Well," Nico started, "I didn't think Grover would get a girlfriend, but it turns out he has some girl named Juniper."

Annabeth and I glanced at each other, and we laughed. His eyebrows furrowed together at our sudden laughter.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

"We  _both_ thought that," I said after my laughter calmed down. "Annabeth and I thought he wouldn't get one until this year or senior year. He's been dating Juniper since he was a freshman."

His eyebrows rose. "Three years already? Damn, get married or something..."

I chuckled. "Exactly what I thought."

Annabeth chuckled as well, but she cleared her throat afterward. "So, you wanted to know why I'm asking you this?"

"I do, actually," he replied.

"I have another question for you," Annabeth stated, and Nico rolled his eyes.

"Fine, what is it?"

"What did you do when you realized you were gay?" Annabeth interrogated.

"This is really getting into my private life," he muttered to himself, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. Goddamn it, Nico.

"So? What did you do?" Annabeth questioned again.

He sighed. "It was a long time ago. Four years ago in fifth grade. I had my first... Fuck, I hate this word.  _Crush._ "

Annabeth glanced at me in the corner or her eyes, but I didn't know why. Maybe she was checking to see if I was still listening to them?

"What did you do?" Annabeth asked for the third time.

"I found it...  _Weird,_ " he explained. "My mom has always told me that it wasn't normal. I didn't think I was normal. I told my mom that I don't think I'm normal, but she said it was okay. I was unique, and that was better than being normal. But, I know she only said that because I didn't tell her I was gay. She never actually knew that I'm gay."

"She  _doesn't_ _know_ that you're gay," Annabeth corrected. "Isn't that what you meant?" A smirk appeared upon her lips. "You make it sound like your mom is gone."

He visibly gulped. "Yeah, that's... That's what I meant."

"Of course," Annabeth said with doubt lacing her voice. "So, this  _crush_ that you had. Did you just... Accept it? Go on with life with the thought in your mind?"

He nodded. "That's about it."

She glanced at me, but her statement was directed toward Nico. "Nico, can I ask you to leave us for some time?"

Nico knit his eyebrows together, but he slowly nodded. He took a hand out of his pocket and swung his backpack over a shoulder. Nico walked by me, and my hand shot out and grabbed Nico's wrist. He froze and looked at me.

"Take your hands out of your pockets," I commanded, and I pulled his hands out of his pockets.

"Sorry," he mumbled, before plugging in his other dangling earphone into his ear. Nico left, leaving only Annabeth and me, along with another group of friends that weren't even listening to us.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "Let me talk first, okay?"

"Okay," I murmured. I didn't know  _why_ I felt so nervous being alone with Annabeth, but I had a feeling something big was about to happen.

"Percy, I'm in love with someone else," Annabeth flatly told me. My mouth opened to ask who it was, but she beat me to it.

"Piper," Annabeth simply said. "I'm... In love with Piper McLean."


	21. 20) Chapter Twenty

It took me such a long time to register into my mind that I didn't even think what she was saying was the truth. Was I imagining things? Hearing things? What was this, a dream or an illusion or  _something?_

"Wh-What?" I finally managed through my shocked state.

She smiled sadly at me. "I love Piper McLean, Percy."

I blinked at her momentarily. The information just wouldn't sink in. Was she  _serious?_  Was it April 1 today or something? What else was I supposed to say? I mean, what would  _you_  do if you found out that your girlfriend was actually lesbian?

"You..." I trailed off, still completely stunned at this new fact. Well, I guess you really do learn something new every day.

"I'm sorry, Percy," she said. "But I... I can't do this anymore. It's like the more I hang out with Piper, the closer I've gotten to her. And I guess I ended up becoming  _too_  close."

I took in a sharp breath. "How long?" I demanded. I was surprised with how urgent my voice sounded.

"A month," Annabeth answered quietly. "It just... Never made such a huge impact on me until a week ago."

"Was that what you were talking to Piper about before I found you guys?" I surmised, and she nodded in response.

Annabeth rubbed her forearm nervously. "I'm... I'm sorry."

"A month, huh?" I repeated to mostly myself. "A month, and you didn't even bother telling me until now?" My voice was suddenly becoming louder from rage, and the few people who were behind the library building that weren't paying any attention to us were now staring at us as if we were some kind of drama shown on TV.

"Look, Percy," Annabeth began to say, but she paused because, for the first time in probably her whole lifetime, she didn't have a clue as to what to say.

"You've been keeping this to yourself for a  _month?!_ " I yelled at her. "What happened to that 'no secrets between us' promise?  _Huh?!_ "

"Percy, please, listen to me!" Annabeth pleaded as her eyes turned glossy.

My teeth were clenched so tightly together it felt like they could break at any second. My knuckles were white, and I could barely control the rage radiating off of me. Of all the people... I didn't think  _Annabeth_  of all people would break a promise.

"Then  _talk_ ," I whispered in a dangerously calm tone. I laughed bitterly all of a sudden, cutting Annabeth off before she could start her explanation. "You know, I wouldn't be so angry if you told me, oh I don't know, a  _month_ ago!"

"Percy!" Annabeth cried frantically. "Listen to me!  _Please!_ "

"Go ahead!" I screamed, my vision becoming blurred with red. "Go on and talk all you want, but will it really make up for how long you hid this from me?!"

A tear streamed down her cheek, and it made me regret how furious I had become. Why wasn't I rational and calm like Annabeth? Why did I let my feelings take over?

I watched the tear roll down her cheek and drip off of her chin as if it were playing in slow motion. I saw when Annabeth and I met in Intermediate School. I saw the time when I finally had the balls to ask her out after months of crushing secretly on her and Grover calling me a "pussy." I even saw the time when we asked Nico himself if he's ever heard of a guy named Nico di Angelo, and Annabeth already had suspicions about Nico before we even knew it was him.

I saw it all in a blink of an eye.

More welled up on the corner of her eyes, and I wanted to wipe them away so badly, but my locked, pale knuckles wouldn't budge an inch at all.

"Annabeth..." I trailed off, clueless as to what to say to her next.

Annabeth shut her eyes as she took deep breaths to calm herself down. Hiccups soon emerged when her tears finally came to a stop. Her lips were still quivering, and her eyes were now a bit puffy and rimmed with red.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. It didn't even feel like the right time to say the apology, but I didn't know what to say to make Annabeth know that I wasn't overflowing with enormous amounts of rage anymore.

She nodded, swiping the back of her hand across her eyes. "Am I able to explain now?"

"Y-Yeah," I stuttered, staring off to the side in guilt.

"Percy, I still love you," Annabeth started her explanation. "I just... We've been dating for a year or two and I... I want to find out what my sexuality is. I mean, I've always thought I was straight, but then my relationship with Piper grew to a point where I just don't know anymore."

She sighed heavily. "With having a hypothesis comes experimentation, isn't that right? I know we'll have to... Break it off, and I'm very,  _very_  sorry for that." Annabeth noticed the sorrowful look on my face, and she offered me an empathetic smile. "You know, I'm not some kind of emotionless being or something. I'm sad about this too, but my gut feeling tells me that this is the path that I should take. You'll find someone Percy. Honestly, you will."

I gulped, and my eyes met Annabeth's gray orbs.

"I just feel... Lost, I guess," I muttered as my gaze fell down to the floor.

Annabeth clasped a hand onto my shoulder, but I didn't feel like making eye contact with her. It hurt to break up with someone that you had loved for a long amount of time, but I can't force her to stay in a relationship with me if she didn't want to.

"I know, Percy. I know," she stated. "It'll get better soon. I know it will. But can you promise me something? I absolutely swear I won't break this promise."

I glanced up at her and met her serious gaze that was set on my own face. "What is it?"

She removed her small hand that I used to hold off my shoulder. "I don't want the type of relationships where the two people never see each other again. It's just... Horrible. So, I was wondering if—"

"You want to stay friends with me," I finished for her with a small smile that actually managed to form on my lips.

Annabeth nodded. "Right. If you don't want to, then—"

I shook my head from side to side, cutting her off. "No, actually, it'd be great if we stayed friends. It would actually be more complicated if we stopped talking to each other completely, you know."

Annabeth chuckled quietly. "I guess that's true, isn't it? You're getting smarter by the minute."

I managed a smile, but it still had traces of my depressed mood. "Thanks. I try, for everyone's sake."

Annabeth's gray eyes twinkled with amusement. "Of course, Percy."

We stood there in a momentary silence. The trees shook from the slight breeze that danced around us. The people that were watching us as if we were some kind of TV drama series were now turned around, and they have become absorbed in their own little quiet conversation.

"Shouldn't you be apologizing to Piper now?" I broke the momentary silence between us. "Lunch could end any minute."

Annabeth stared up at me in surprise—probably because her ex-boyfriend suggested that she should start dating Piper McLean.

She softly smiled. "I should, huh?" Annabeth nodded to herself. "I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah. See you later."

"Don't mourn over our breakup so much, okay?" Annabeth advised me with furrowed eyebrows as she examined me. "Move on. It'll eventually fade away until they're just distant memories. Don't make the memories fade  _completely_  though; forgetting the past can be a very dangerous thing. Get better soon, alright?" She stood on her toes and pecked one last, light kiss upon my cheeks before we bid our farewells again.

Annabeth stopped before she turned a nearby corner. She glanced at me from behind her shoulder and called, "Good luck on getting Nico!"

And she bolted away, leaving me completely puzzled and depressed by myself.


	22. 21) Chapter Twenty-One

My last two classes of the day went by in a huge blur, so by the time I received the homework, I literally had no idea as to what to do. I couldn't understand it at all. My brain wouldn't register any of the words that were printed on the page.

I just felt so empty. It was weird thinking that I would never hold Annabeth close to me anymore. But at the same time, we were never really that close after a certain point.

Why?

We used to always kiss each other goodbye and whisper sweet and gentle words to one another. Then at a certain point, it all just faded away.

Why?

When did it stop? What stage in our relationship did it kind of stop to the level where we treated each other as friends but with labels as "boyfriend" and "girlfriend"?

My head pounded as I tried to think. It just seemed so  _natural_ to me when our relationship suddenly stopped. But as I think back on it, there was a time when Annabeth and I kissed at least once a day. There was a time when we held hands wherever we went, and we were inseparable.

I just didn't know when it stopped.

Annabeth  _did_ say that she was in love with Piper since last month, right? Maybe our relationship started to disappear a month ago.

No, it couldn't have. I lost my virginity two weeks ago though. It must have been closer to now. A few days ago? Was it really that recent? It felt so much longer than that.

I sighed heavily and glanced up at the sky. I had a massive headache now, and all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep in the shade of the tree where I sat. I had to walk home, but I didn't have the energy nor the enthusiasm to walk home.

My eyelids felt so heavy. I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep. I knew I would worry my mom if I didn't come home soon. Maybe I should just make up an excuse and tell her I went to Grover's house or something.

I shut my eyes, but before I could feel the darkness come and take over, the crunching of leaves interrupted the darkness to possess my body completely.

I glanced up with half-opened eyes to find dark clothing and hair that looked like the person just rolled out of bed and went to school looking like that.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" A soft, soothing voice slipped through plump lips. I wondered if they felt as soft as they looked...

"It's okay," I mumbled without bothering to shake my head and make the pounding in my head rise to greater heights.

"Can I sit?" he asked with a shaky voice, glancing down at his black  _Nik_ e shoes that had blood red shoelaces.

I gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Sure Neeks. Anytime."

Nico sat down next to me, managing to not make a single sound. "Are you tired?"

I chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I am. I just have this huge headache is all."

"Oh," Nico said with heavy concern lacing his voice. He glanced at me with worry swirling in his beautiful dark brown eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." My smile grew wider at how worried Nico was about me. "I'm fine."

Nico nodded, glancing down at the ground and pulling on the short strands of grass with his fingers. "That's good. Why do you have such a big headache?"

I shrugged. "Just... Just thinking about something," I muttered, thinking about the break-up with Annabeth during lunch.

"What's wrong?" Nico glanced back up to meet my gaze, and my heart dropped at the sight. He looked as if he were about to cry for me.

I gulped, attempting to take deep breaths without it being too noticeable. Nico watched me anxiously as he waited patiently for my response.

"Annabeth... She broke up with me," I said in a barely audible whisper. Nico's eyes widened in shock, but I thought I was imagining something. Was that hope in his eyes? Maybe I was just so tired that I began to see things that weren't there.

The hope in Nico's eyes suddenly disappeared and he looked at me empathetically. "I'm sorry."

I smiled sadly as I reached out to caress his cheek. His eyes widened slightly once more, and a faint tint of red splashed across his cheeks.

"You don't have to be sorry, Nico. It wasn't even your fault." I informed him with a soothing voice, rubbing his soft and smooth cheek. Damn, did Nico use moisturizer on his face or what? It was as if Nico naturally looked cute or  _something._ He had such long, genuine eyelashes that would've made every girl jealous. His hair that brushed my hand every now and then was super silky and his face was so soft. I was so addicted to Nico's skin. I just wanted to touch Nico everywhere and I didn't want to stop. Nico's cheek was the closest thing that I could touch, so that was what I did.

"How come she broke up with you?" Nico finally broke the comfortable silence, hesitantly placing his hand on my own.

My eyes flickered over to his hand, and I could feel Nico's hand about to release my own. So instead, I smiled reassuringly, making his hand relax on mine.

"She was in love with someone else," I murmured.

"Oh," Nico said quietly. He glanced nervously down at the ground, his hand tightening around my hand. I sincerely wished that his hand would tighten around something else...

Okay, I literally just got my heart broken up into little, tiny pieces and I think of  _that?!_ Well, I couldn't exactly deny the thought either... My heart pounded in my chest instead of my head, and I began to feel a fluttering sensation somewhere in my stomach. I felt my face heat up at the thought of innocent little Nico doing such a thing.

"Percy?" Nico waved his free hand in front of my face, and I blinked momentarily.

I smiled sheepishly, chuckling on embarrassment. "Sorry did you say something?"

"Why is your face red?" he asked obliviously, running a shaking finger along my cheeks, resulting in my cheeks exploding with the color red from my blush. And it wasn't blood, just letting you all know that.

My eyes widened and I almost gasped. Fortunately, I stopped myself in time. My lips were slightly parted right when I stopped myself.

Nico took his finger off, and his eyes flickered toward my half-open mouth for a split second. He averted his gaze soon after that, and instead, he looked down at the blades of grass, hiding his face with his silky, dark brown hair.

I lifted his face up with my hand that still rested on his cheek. "What were you trying to ask me?"

"Who was the person that Annabeth's in love with?" Nico questioned.

"Piper," I replied quietly. "Piper McLean."

It took Nico a few seconds to register the name into his head and figure out who it was since he only met her once.

"Piper..." He muttered to himself in a hushed voice. "Piper... Piper McLean. Who is—" Nico stopped short, and his eyes widened at the sudden realization. "Piper McLean?!"

"Yeah, Piper McLean," I confirmed for him.

"That's..." He gaped at the ground as if it were the most astonishing thing of his life. It probably was, actually.

I chuckled. "I know." My smile dropped and I looked down at the ground as well. "It's... Something new I have to get used to..."

My eyes started to tear up at the empty and lost feeling I had. When will the day come when I stop feeling this empty and lost?

He abruptly stood up and offered me a hand. "Want to go somewhere with me?"

I tore my gaze from the ground to glance up at him. "Go where?"

"It's a pretty amazing place." He offered me a small smile, and it was the most stunning thing I had ever seen in my entire lifespan.

Before I could ask him what this "amazing place" was, he beat me to it.

"It's a hill," Nico said, and my eyes widened.

He pulled me up from my spot on the ground, and we both tacitly agreed on our destination.

Half-Blood Hill.


	23. Chapter 23

"Do you have any homework to do?" Nico asked me as he firmly grasped my hand and dragged me to Half-Blood Hill. I chuckled inwardly to myself. I already knew the way, yet Nico insisted on dragging me there himself. Well, I wasn't complaining. Holding Nico's hand felt nice. His hands weren't hidden deep in his pockets, and I felt this weird, tingling sensation down in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't pinpoint the  _exact_ location, but it was somewhere around there.

I shook my head. "No, thank the Gods up there. Friday without homework means I'm going to have the best weekend in the history of weekends."

"'Gods'?" Nico asked. Nico was ahead of me, so I couldn't possibly see his expression as he dragged me along, but I didn't have to see his face to know that his eyebrows were furrowed together in confusion.

I smiled in amusement. "There's gotta be more than one god up there, right? I mean, it'd be pretty hard to look over the whole entire world if you're just one person."

"But, surely one god would be able to," Nico interjected. "I mean, it's  _God._ God can do anything."

"Even God can't do everything," I remarked as we continued trudging along toward Half-Blood Hill. "I mean, if God can do  _everything_ , then there wouldn't be pain and misery in this world. Poverty wouldn't exist, and this whole world would pretty much be some kind of utopia."

Nico halted suddenly and I almost toppled over him. I opened my mouth to ask him what in the Hell was he doing, but he answered my question before I could ask it.

"That was the deepest thing I have ever heard someone say," Nico turned around, our fingers still interlocked. "Did you get that from ' _The Tyger'_  by William Blake?"

"The Tiger?" I looked down at him in confusion. How would I possibly get such an idea from a  _tiger?_  The last time I checked, I was  _pretty_  positive tigers couldn't communicate with humans.

"' _The Tyger'_ by William Blake," Nico repeated, "It's a poem that my mom read to me when I was young." His dark brown eyes clouded over as if he were thinking of some distant memory.

I smirked and patted Nico's head with my free hand. He jumped slightly in surprise and glanced up at me with a bewildered expression. Damn, did he have long eyelashes or what?

"What?" Nico grumbled, and I was pretty sure I imagined his cheeks turn a bit pink.

"You're pretty smart, aren't you?" I teased.

Nico scowled, swatting my hand away with his available hand. "My mom has just read a lot of things to me, okay?"

I raised a challenging eyebrow. "Oh really? What else have you read?"

Nico's scowl only became more defined. "There's a lot that I've read. Do you  _really_  expect me to name them all?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Only the important ones I guess. The 'super sophisticated' ones."

"What do you mean by 'super sophisticated'?" Nico knit his eyebrows together.

My lips tilted downwards from deep thought and concentration. "Like... The stuff English teachers would make you read and analyze and stuff."

Nico looked above him at the darkening sky through the corners of his eyes, "There's ' _The Tyger', 'Dover Beach', 'The Raven', 'The Tell-Tale Heart'_  and some other stuff from Edgar Allan Poe,  _Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird,_ _the_ _Odyssey—_ "

"You read  _the_ _Odyssey_ when you were little?!" I asked incredulously. This guy couldn't be  _that_ much of a brainiac, right?

"My mom read it to me when I was ten," Nico explained. "She told me what some of the parts meant, but I don't really understand it all that well. I would re-read it, but I have to read it for English class anyway. It'd be kind of a waste to read it only to read it again afterward, right?"

"Holy shit," I muttered to myself, but apparently Nico heard since he arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?"

"Grover really was right," I mumbled, making eye contact with Nico. "You are  _just_  like Annabeth."

Nico's jaw tightened as a glare settled on his eyes. His grip tightened around my wrist, and I slightly flinched at his tight hold. Did I involuntarily say something wrong?

"Sorry," I blurted out before I could stop myself. I just wanted that furious expression of Nico's to just disappear from existence. Nico didn't deserve to be angry. I also felt kind of horrible that  _I_  was the one that made him angry.

Nico's tensed shoulders relaxed a bit, but not fully. "It's okay. It's just..." He visibly gulped, and I wondered what was going through that intelligent mind of his. "Do you really want to compare me to your ex _—_ " He stopped himself before he could say anymore. His eyes widened at his mistake as he whirled around and stomped ahead, forcibly dragging me along.

"Nico," I attempted to catch his attention, but it didn't seem to be working. Why was Nico getting so frustrated over this? I mean, I know I wasn't exactly happy with the breakup, but Nico was just getting me to move on from it.

"Nico!" I yelled as if he were a mile away, throwing out my free hand to grab his other wrist.

He stopped abruptly, and my steps slowed down to a halt as well.

"What are you getting so worked up for?" I offered a small smile even though he wasn't actually looking at me. "It's fine, really."

"I just thought you'd get angry for mentioning her." Nico looked at me from over his shoulder with the most emotionless expression I had ever seen in my seventeen years of living.

I shook my head aggressively. "No, I mean, sure I'm not e _xactly_ happy about it, but you were actually making me feel a bit better."

Nico's eyebrows shot up in shock. " _Me?_  Making you  _feel_  better?" Nico crossed his arms, releasing his grip on my wrist, unfortunately. "Are you s _ure_ you're not telling this to the wrong person?"

I frowned. "Well, who else is there to tell this too?"

"Me!"

We both spun around in bewilderment to find the same lady that we found on our way to Half-Blood Hill before. Dark brown silky hair with matching dark brown eyes. Dark clothing and slight bags under her eyes. She even had pale, soft-looking skin and long bangs in front of her face just like the guy adjacent of me. As I recall, her name was Aphrodite.

"It's you again," I said in amusement, and she grinned.

"Having one of your small relationship fights, I see." She nodded in approval, resulting in the both of our cheeks to flare up in embarrassment.

"We're  _not_ in a relationship!" Nico barked. Ouch, that hurt. It  _definitely_  sounded like Nico completely despised the idea of us being together in a relationship. I had to admit, the thought of that stung.

The mysterious woman chuckled. "You didn't have to deny it  _that_ strongly. Unless you were just offended. Or maybe you're just not out of the closet just yet, Nico di Angelo."

I could literally feel the anger and rage resonating from Nico's body from beside me, and I was starting to get a bit frightened. I mean, Nico was fucking  _scary_  when he was angry. I knew she was already starting to step into the area surrounded by yellow caution tape, and that was not a very good thing.  _Definitely_  not a good thing.

"Look," I intervened, glancing between the confident woman and the furious boy beside me. "I've been meaning to ask you something," I directed to her.

She raised a thin eyebrow that looked almost identical to Nico's. "And, what may that question be?"

"How do you already know our names?" I interrogated. Nico nodded next to me as his anger began to dissipate.

Aphrodite giggled. "I'm... I guess you can call me an  _acquaintance_  of your fathers." Her eyes flickered between the two of us. "Your fathers seem to despise each other greatly, yet their sons seem to be getting along a bit  _too_ much, don't you agree?"

"Wait," I stared at her blankly. "You know Paul?"

"Paul?" She looked genuinely puzzled. "If you are talking about Poseidon, then yes, I do know him."

I nodded. "My  _real_ dad," I ground out through clenched teeth. "The one that left me when I was born."

Aphrodite gasped. "I had no idea that happened."

I shrugged my tense shoulders. "He visited occasionally." I glanced over at Nico. "Do you remember him?"

Nico nodded silently with that stupid unemotional look again that should never belong on his precious face.

Aphrodite nodded as well. "I should be going now." She smiled sweetly. "Pray for the best for your futures."

She spun around on her black heels and walked away, her heels producing the  _click-clack_ whenever she took a step against the concrete of the used-to-be white sidewalk.

"Doesn't she look like you?" Nico suddenly asked, watching her form disappear into the distance. "I wouldn't have been surprised if you said she was your sister or something."

" _Me?_ " I asked in astonishment. "She looked more like you actually."

"Are you  _kidding_  me?" Nico asked. "I'm not  _that_  good-looking!"

I smirked. "So, Mister di Angelo, are you saying that Aphrodite was good-looking?"

Nico blushed deeply. "You already know that I'm gay, Percy. I should be teasing  _you_ about this."

I laughed. "Fair enough." I swung an arm around Nico's shoulders. "Now come on; let's go to Half-Blood Hill, alright?"

"Yeah," he agreed with a nod, the blush fading away. "Let's go."


	24. 23) Chapter Twenty-Three

I collapsed onto the soft grass once we finally reached the peak of the hill. I breathed a sigh of relief, and I gazed up at the blue sky. There were some clouds here and there, but other than that, it was the perfect weather. It wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold. It was as if someone controlled the weather on this hill or something because the weather always seemed perfect to me.

I glanced up at the person who took a seat next to me. He stared down at me in silence with a kind of dreamy look on his face. It was like he was admiring every single detail on my face. Well, that was what I was doing to Nico. But his chocolate brown eyes seemed to grab my attention the most.

I slightly grimaced. It also reminded me of the times Annabeth and I would lay in the grass in a nearby park. We did that a lot, and I kind of missed it...

"Perce?"

I jolted out of my thoughts and stared at Nico in bewilderment. "Yeah?"

"What's wrong?" He gazed down at me with concern and worry swirling in his beautiful eyes, rimmed with long eyelashes. I mean, who  _wouldn't_ fall for those stunning eyes? They were even better to look at than Annabeth's.

I sighed heavily in frustration. Why did I keep comparing Annabeth to Nico?

"Perce?" Nico repeated with an eyebrow raised.

I chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that. Now, uh, what were you saying?"

He rolled his eyes. "What are you thinking so hard about?"

I kept silent, gluing my eyes to the sky above me.

"Perce," Nico said, grabbing my attention after an uneasy quietness settled between us.

I continued silent, staring up at the sky and experiencing every single memory I had with Annabeth. Like the time we first met in science class in intermediate school. She was my lab partner, and I joked about everything while Annabeth did all the work. Looking back on it now, I seemed like such a nuisance.

There was the time when I thought I loved Annabeth. I told Grover, who completely was the wrong person to tell. If you think you like someone, don't tell Grover.  _Ever_.

He wrote love letters shaped like hearts and shoved them into her locker without my consent. Grover always wrote: "Always loved by PJ" at the end. I always wondered why Grover suddenly called me "Pajamas" at one point. Now I knew why. I never actually found out what Grover wrote in those letters...

Since Annabeth did most of the work during our lab experiments, she never actually knew what my handwriting looked like, so Grover was able to get away with it.

One day, she confronted me about it when we were doing a lab. I remember being super embarrassed about Grover doing such a thing without me even knowing. Turns out she loved me too, but now? Everything was so different to me. Why couldn't she have just told me earlier when she found out about her feelings for Piper? She just  _had_  to wait a month. I could've already gotten over the breakup, and maybe I could've been in a relationship with another girl.

I sighed quietly to myself. I wished this breakup could pass easily and harmlessly. I  _thought_ it could, but now I'm thinking too much. Was this the punishment that I finally get from thinking?

"Perseus Jackson!"

I bolted upright in my spot on Half-Blood Hill and whipped my head toward an annoyed-looking Nico di Angelo. His eyes were narrowed at me, and I was thoroughly surprised that Nico's hands were out of his pockets and in the sunlight.

"That's it," Nico huffed. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," I mumbled, averting my gaze from Nico's eyes to the blades of grass that swayed in the wind which passed by occasionally.

"Perce..." Nico trailed off, unsure of what to say next. I stole a glance at Nico, and I immediately regretted it. His eyes were rimmed with a light tint of red, and he looked as if he were about to cry. His head was hung low, covering most of his face so I couldn't really see anything else.

I opened my mouth to explain myself and hopefully wipe that horribly saddening expression off of his face, but he beat me to it as if he predicted what I was about to say.

"Is this about the breakup with Annabeth?" he whispered, glancing up at me. Nico's eyes suddenly widened as he realized that I was staring back at him. I was pretty sure he only glanced at me because he thought I was still looking at the grass-covered ground.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah." I forced a smile upon my lips. "Sorry for bringing the mood down and all."

He shook his head. "Don't be. And, drop the smile while you're at it. I know it's fake."

My smile immediately dropped. "How did you—"

"I'm a  _master_ at lying," Nico briefly explained. "I don't like it when you're lying to me."

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Are you still sad about the breakup?" Nico hesitantly asked me, and I nodded again.

He sighed sadly. "Percy, one day, you'll get over it. You know that, right?"

"I do, but Annabeth could've  _a_ _t the very least_ told me a month ago!" I exclaimed, taking deep breaths right after to calm myself down.

"You guys have been together for a while," Nico remarked. "Of course it'll take her some time before she's worked up enough courage to go and tell you. I mean, she's ending something that lasted for more than a year. If it happened for a long time, it's going to take a long time to end it. You can't blame her, Percy."

"I... I guess..." I trailed off.

"Move on, Percy." Nico smiled reassuringly to me. "Find someone else to love. I'm sure someone like you will be able to find someone soon. You'll be fine. It's not the end of the world. Sure you feel this way, but maybe the Gods up there," he pointed a finger up at the sky, "will help you find someone new. Of course, you can't  _force_ yourself to move on, and you shouldn't distract yourself from it. Accept it, and it'll become like a memory to you. A  _good_ memory, for that matter."

I chuckled quietly. "You surely know a lot on the subject, huh? Did you have a  _boyfriend_  somewhere along the line?" I elbowed him and wiggled my eyebrows as a bright blush spread across his face.

"No!" Nico cried. He cleared his throat, the blush slowly fading away. "I just learned it the hard way is all."

"Do you mean from when that guy broke your Hades statue?" I asked, recalling the horrid memory.

Nico gulped, stretching out his legs and hitting the tips of his shoes together chronically. "Yeah, I learned from that."

Was he nervous about me bringing up the topic? Shit, I didn't mean to do that.

"Sorry, for bringing that up." I fidgeted in my seat awkwardly.

He glanced at me and shook his head. His shoes stopped hitting each other.

"It's fine, Percy," Nico said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good, but something has been bothering me from your advice," I stated, making Nico raise an eyebrow.

"What is it?" Nico asked.

I frowned, knitting my eyebrows together. "Why should I distract myself from thinking of the memory? Shouldn't I try to forget about it? It would just make me feel more horrible if I thought about it more. Honestly, distracting myself seems better."

Nico furiously shook his head. "It's not. I've tried."

"You have?"

He nodded in response. "Yeah. If you distract yourself, then one day, there will be a time where you have nothing to do. If the memory comes back after months, or maybe even  _years_  of distracting yourself from remembering it, what'll happen? It would become a bad memory that you'd always want to forget, but people can  _never_ forget bad memories. If you accept it, then it can become like any old memory. But if you force it away, it'll just come back and flood you with all of the good times that you'll never be able to experience again. It happens to me a lot, nowadays."

"Really?" I stared at him sadly. "You should talk about it more."

Nico shook his head once more. "It's okay, I don't want to bother you about it."

I frowned, laying myself back down onto the grass. "It won't bother me."

He glanced at me with both eyebrows raised. "Really?"

I grinned and glanced up at him. "Yeah. You can tell me anything, Neeks."

Nico gave off a small smile, sending my heart racing for some reason.

"Again with that nickname." Nico rolled his eyes.

I laughed lightly. "It's a nice nickname. You truly  _are_ an angel, Neeks."

He frowned. "I doubt that."

"You are!" I sat up and turned my body so that it faced him. "You helped me a lot today. Thanks for that."

Nico gaped at me as if I were talking in gibberish. "A-Are you kidding?"

I stared at him in confusion. "No, why would I be?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just not very good at helping people so I don't really like talking to them."

I smiled. "Really? You're pretty good at it."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

I laughed. "You never take my compliments!"

"Why should I?"

"You deserve them!" I laughed, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Not really," he chuckled. This was probably the most I ever saw him smile or laugh, and it made my heart fill with joy.

I stood up and brushed myself off, offering him a hand. "You deserve every single compliment, Neeks. Now come on, want to go somewhere with me?"

He reached out to grab my hand, but I suddenly pulled back when his first finger touched my hand. That was... Weird. My hand felt all tingly. I stared at my hand, but there wasn't anything on it other than a few specks of dirt here and there from the hill. I narrowed my eyes. What was that about? And why was my heart beating so unusually fast today? It never did that before... Did it?

"Perce?" Nico called out to me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry." I smiled sheepishly, offering my hand. My heart began to pound against my chest as I took hold of Nico's hand and pulled him up.

"It's okay," Nico simply replied, brushing himself off as well. "So, where are we going?"

"It's a park that Annabeth and I used to go to," I answered.

Nico stared at me with an expression full of concern. I inhaled deeply to stop my pounding heart. My face was even heating up a bit. Why?  _Why?_

"Are you sure you want to go there?" Nico questioned me with narrowed eyes.

"Yeah," I replied. "I want you to see that park. It's pretty cool! They've got a fountain and a pool and everything!"

"You are  _still_ obsessed with water?" Nico sighed heavily, and I laughed.

"Of course! When am I  _not?_ " I chuckled before grabbing Nico's forearm and dragging him down the hill. I tried to ignore the intensified feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was going to ask Annabeth about it before, but now it seemed that this random feeling became even stronger today. Why?

* * *

When we reached the bottom of the hill, I let my grasp on Nico slip away. I couldn't even handle how fast my heart was beating. It was as if it happened whenever I touched Nico. I touched his cheek just fine before. Now I couldn't even hold his arm without feeling weird.

"You okay, Percy?" Nico asked me, and I nodded.

"Yeah, I just... Feel a bit different than before is all." I struggled to form more words, but that was all I could think of so far.

"Different?" Nico furrowed his thin eyebrows together.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure... I'm sure it'll go away."

Nico nodded in understanding. "Alright. If you say so."

We trod along the sidewalk in a comfortable silence. I kept stealing involuntary glances at Nico whenever he wasn't looking. Did I always do that before?

I sighed quietly to myself in the hopes that Nico didn't hear. I kept trying to convince myself in my mind that I kept looking at Nico to make sure that he wasn't hiding his hands, but the back of my mind seemed to disagree. I didn't remember doing this so much.  _Why was I acting so weird?_

It wasn't like that this morning. It wasn't like that before Nico and I were at Half-Blood Hill. It just started to happen when we started to leave. Maybe I was getting these weird feelings because I was worried that something bad might happen when I was at the park? I mean, I went to that park many times with Annabeth, so maybe I was worried that some kind of memory might come back to me and make me all depressed again.

But the back of my mind seemed to disagree with that explanation too.

We passed by Aphrodite on the way there. I glanced her way and smiled at her, but she only winked at me with a little smirk on the lips that looked exactly like Nico's before she walked away.

What was  _that_ about? It was as if...

As if Aphrodite knew what was happening.


	25. 24) Chapter Twenty-Four

We arrived at the park. It was a very small park, but I didn't really mind. I pretty much discovered every inch of the park since it was so small. I practically grew up here.

It also sent a bunch of memories coming back into my mind. I celebrated my eighth birthday here. It wasn't a very big party because my stepdad, Gabe, used most of my mom's money for stupid crap, so my mom only invited Grover and his family. Grover and I had been friends for as long as I remember. It felt like we were friends since the beginning of time.

My mom brought me to the park whenever she could, which wasn't very much since she was always used by my stepdad. I don't even want to say or think of his name. It made me want to throw up just thinking about what he did to my mom. I'm glad she finally met Paul.

Since my mom didn't take me here very much, when I was in intermediate school, I came to the park a lot with Grover and sometimes Annabeth. There was this one day when Grover and Annabeth couldn't come with me, so I went exploring. It was that day when I found Half-Blood Hill.

I never actually brought Nico to this park because my mom never had any time when I was friends with Nico in elementary school, but now I finally wanted to show him it.

"Is this it?" Nico asked me when our feet hit a stone path.

I nodded. "Yeah," I simply answered, scanning the small, yet beautiful park. Waves of nostalgia hit me as if I was getting wiped out on the beach. Flashbacks and images ran through my mind of all my experiences here. Some were happy memories, but now, some were memories that I wanted to forget.

My knees buckled, and I would've dropped to the floor like a dead corpse. Luckily, Nico caught me before it could happen.

"Hey, are you okay?!" Nico asked with confusion and surprise laced in his voice. He steadied me on my feet, and I used his shoulders to keep me steady. Damn, I felt so lightheaded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I exhaled lightly. "Sorry about that."

Nico shook his head. "It's fine. But are you sure you want to be here?"

My face heated up from how concerned and worried Nico sounded. I rapidly withdrew my hands from his shoulders and gulped. I felt so nervous, but I didn't know why. I couldn't even touch or listen or see Nico without feeling unnatural. Did Nico do something that I suddenly forgot about? Maybe I ate something bad today...

"Percy?" Nico narrowed his eyes up at me.

"I'm fine!" I said a bit too excitedly. I cleared my throat, averting my gaze from Nico. "I-I mean, I'm fine, really." I smiled sheepishly, but I didn't dare to glance at Nico.

He opened his mouth to say something, but he thought about it before closing it.

"So, about my question," Nico broke the silence. "Are you sure you want to be here?"

I nodded firmly. "Yeah," I replied, regaining my composure. My eyes met Nico's, and I suddenly felt butterflies in my stomach. Not literally, of course; that would be weird.

Nico stared at me for awhile, but he soon nodded. "Alright. If you want, we could leave."

"You told me I should accept these memories instead of running away from them, didn't you?" I blurted out before could stop myself.

Nico froze. "I... I guess." His gaze dropped to the ground.

I smiled. I would've patted him on the shoulder, but I was afraid of that unnatural feeling again.

"You know, you should follow your own advice." My smile morphed into a smirk. "Stop being such a hypocrite."

He glared venomous daggers at me. "I am  _not_ a hypocrite!" He jabbed his index finger into my chest.

"Oh yeah?" I scoffed, ignoring that fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Why don't you prove it to me then?"

Nico's cheeks turned a light pink. "Isn't there a reason as to why you wanted to come here so badly?"

I chuckled at the sudden change of subject. "There is, actually."

He raised an eyebrow. "There is?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I knew this park ever since I was little, but I never actually got the chance to take you here."

"Oh." was all Nico said. "So... You brought me here because you wanted to show me?"

I grinned. "Yeah, what's so wrong about that?"

Nico visibly gulped as his cheeks became a darker shade. He glanced off to his side at a nearby child who was running around in the grass and laughing. The boy had short, brown hair, and he looked as if he were around 10 years-old. He must've believed that all of the world's problems didn't apply to him as he ran around in the grass with his parents watching him on a nearby bench.

"You know," Nico began, "you didn't have to come here to show me this park. We can come another time."

I frowned. "And when will 'another time' be? When I get used to the breakup with Annabeth?"

His lips parted open in shock. I knew I hit the target right in the middle.

"Didn't you say that I should make those bad memories just regular old memories?" I looked at him right in the eyes. "Didn't you tell me to not distract myself from those memories because they'll just keep haunting me in the back of my mind? Didn't you tell me that?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Then maybe I should follow that advice, right?" I patted him on the shoulder while trying to push my reaction to it into the back of my mind.

He nodded, muttering to himself, "Yeah. Maybe I should too."


	26. 25) Chapter Twenty-Five

"So, what do you even do here?" Nico asked me when I dragged him along to look at a bunch of stuff like the park fountain.

I frowned. "I just hang out with my friends here I guess. It's a pretty neat place. I'd rather go here than any amusement park."

"Don't you have bad experiences whenever you're up high?" Nico questioned, and I nodded.

"Yeah. I dropped a lot of stuff when I was up high. And my mom's parents died when they were in an airplane."

Nico's gaze flickered toward the floor. "Oh."

I chuckled. "Yeah. I have a lot of memories here. I never got the chance to take you here because my mom was always busy by the time I was in fifth grade. But I'm glad we got to be here now, right?"

He glanced up at me and sent me on the verge of a heart attack when he smiled. "Yeah, I guess."

I swung my arm around Nico's tiny shoulders and guided him to various places. My heart beat even faster from being in such a close proximity to him.

I loved the park fountain; it was my favorite thing there. There wasn't necessarily a statue spitting water or anything. There  _were_ arcs of water ascending from the middle of the fountain. The water was so clear, you could identify the difference between the quarters and the nickels at the bottom. And that's a pretty great accomplishment for me because I could  _never_ see the difference between a nickel and a quarter. I always got the two mixed up.

"It's a pretty fountain," Nico stated as we stopped in front of it.

"Yeah," I agreed. "It's where Annabeth asked me out."

He turned his head to look at me with a raised eyebrow. "Really?"

"Nah.  _I_ was the one who asked Annabeth out here."

Nico sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes. "Is there even a difference?"

"There is!" I exclaimed. "Obviously!"

I tore my gaze and saw two young teenagers in eighth grade. A boy with black, windswept hair and sea green eyes sat upon the rim of the fountain. The other was a girl with dirty blonde hair tied up into a loose ponytail, and she had gray eyes instead. The boy looked so nervous, he looked as if he would scream if a leaf fell on him. It was weird because I smiled at the fond memory of how nervous I was then. Maybe this whole "making your bad memories into a good memory" would actually work out.

"What are you smiling at?" Nico stared up at me with a puzzled expression.

I laughed lightly. "It's nothing. I just... Saw myself trying to ask Annabeth out in a third-person perspective like those movies where the main character sees all of his experiences with some old dude."

Nico blinked blankly up at me. He didn't even bother saying anything.

I smiled sheepishly. "Do you even know I'm talking about or do I just sound absolutely crazy?"

"Yeah, I do," Nico replied.

"Then why'd you look at me like I was crazy?"

Nico's face became a tint of pink. "Er, no reason. No reason at all."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Nico muttered. "I was just... Thinking."

"About what?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, Perce."

I sighed. "If you say so."

I tugged him away from the fountain so we could explore more areas of the park. We strolled along the stone path that weaved throughout the park.

I eventually guided him toward a pond full of mallards swimming happily in it.

I almost laughed to myself, recalling the memory in my mind. "This was where I accidentally pushed Grover into the pond."

" _Accidentally,_ " Nico repeated with a roll of his eyes. "I hardly believe it was an accident."

"It  _was_ an accident!" I cried.

"Of course," Nico replied sarcastically. "I  _totally_ believe you."

I pouted. "Well, you should be believing me!"

Warmth spread all throughout my body when I heard Nico chuckle beside me.

"Should I  _really_ keep believing you?"

"Yes!" I yelled. "Okay, look." I removed my arms from his shoulders and turned my back toward him. "I was playing with a Frisbee with my mom. She threw it at me, and when I was trying to catch it, I took a step back." I took a step back, careful to not bump into Nico on purpose. "I jumped to catch the Frisbee, but Grover fell into the pond instead." I turned back around to face Nico, and I screwed up right then and there.

When I turned around, my foot accidentally kicked Nico's foot. Nico took a step back to give me space, but it turns out that the pond was right behind him.

"Nico!" I yelled as my hand shot out for his wrist.

Nico's eyes were wide as I pulled him back against my chest. My heart was beating fast from how close I was to Nico and how Nico almost just fell into the pond.

Nico glanced up at me with a relieved expression. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. The world seemed to freeze around us, and time felt like it stopped.

I was coming to a realization then when I stared into Nico's chocolate brown eyes. My relationship with Annabeth stopped when I found Nico again.

_Here goes nothing,_ I told myself. But, did I  _really_ want to do this?

Hah, sure I did.

I pushed my lips against Nico's.


	27. 26) Chapter Twenty-Six

Honestly, I didn't know what I was doing.

I mean, I knew I was  _kissing_  him, but I just couldn't believe that I was doing such a thing. Looks like I'll be questioning my sexuality from now on.

Was it weird to say that it felt so  _right_ _?_ It felt as if it were meant to be or something. Like it was the red string of fate coming into play.

" _I can_ definitely  _see some red between you two_ ," Aphrodite had said way back to when I was bringing Nico to Half-Blood Hill for the first time.

It was the first time Nico and I ever saw her. What did her statement even mean though? Just who was Aphrodite?

Nico pulled back after a minute or so. His eyes were wide, and his cheeks were a very deep red. Honestly, he looked so adorable, and it sent butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. No matter how stupid that may have sounded, it felt exactly like that.

"What... What are you doing?" Nico said breathlessly, and it was probably because I surprised him with a minute-long kiss.

I gulped nervously. I didn't want to mess this up. I knew now; deep, deep inside, I wanted to be with Nico. I wasn't testing my sexuality or anything. That would've been cruel to use him to see if my feelings were fake.

But I knew now. I  _wanted_  to be with Nico. I wanted to hold him without Nico feeling so awkward. I wanted to hold his hand without using the excuse of keeping his hands out of his pockets. I wanted to run my hand through his soft, silky hair. I wanted to make all of my previous fantasies with him a reality.

"Aren't you  _straight?_ " Nico asked me with what sounded like a disgusted tone.

"I thought I was," I simply replied, quickly shoving my hands into my pockets purely out of nervousness.

"You  _thought_  you were," Nico repeated suspiciously. "What the hell are you talking about?"

I grimaced. Things weren't turning out very well. Nico sounded so angry... So outraged. Like he would storm away at any second if I said one wrong thing.

"I don't know," I answered candidly. "Look, I don't know what happened. It's just that whenever I'm with you, I feel different. When I'm hanging out with Grover or Annabeth or anyone else, it's nothing compared to when I'm around you. It's only with you."

He narrowed his eyes coldly at me. It was as if he was trying to decipher what I was saying.

"Keep going," Nico commanded after a long pause.

I inhaled sharply. "I know what I'm saying right now doesn't make sense. Will you just hear me out until the end? It's... It seems  _complicated_  to explain, but maybe I can figure out how to say it."

Nico nodded cautiously. "Go ahead. I won't interrupt."

My hands were vibrating inside my pockets. Nico didn't seem like himself at all. He seemed like this completely different being who suddenly possessed his body just so he could criticize me with only his sharp eyes.

_Don't screw this up. Don't screw this up_ , I started to chant in my mind.

"Let me start from the beginning," I started. "When I was dating Annabeth, we had a nice relationship going. We were always together, but we weren't overly-obsessed with each other so we wouldn't forget about our friends. But, this weird feeling that I suddenly get... It all started—"

"When the Fire Nation attacked," Nico suddenly interrupted with a small smirk on his lips.

I managed to crack a smile despite the tense situation I was in. "Really Nico? Didn't you say you wouldn't interrupt?"

"Sorry, sorry," Nico apologized in a way that made it sound like he  _wasn't_  sorry. "I had to with the reference. It was too tempting to let it pass by."

I rolled my eyes as I chuckled. At least the old Nico was back. And as a plus, he managed to lift the weight of the sky of my shoulders. Not literally, of course, that would be weird. How would someone even carry the sky anyway?

" _Anyway_ ," I continued. "My relationship with Annabeth kind of... Disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Nico tilted his head to the side in confusion.

I nodded. "Yeah. We weren't as close as we were before. We started to drift apart, and it became more as a friends-with-benefits kind of thing instead of an actual relationship. It happened when Grover, Annabeth, and I found you behind the library that one day."

"Your relationship disappeared when you found me?" Nico questioned for clarification.

"It did," I confirmed. "I didn't know why at first. I kind of put it in the back of my mind. My main goal was to become better friends with you and to catch up with you after not seeing you for about five years.

"But, I always got this weird feeling whenever I was with you. And then lately, whenever I touch you, it burns. Not like a  _bad_  burn or anything. It's like... Some kind of—"

"I know what you're talking about," Nico cut me off. "Don't worry. It happens a lot to me." His voice turned into a mere whisper. "Like whenever he smiles me..."

"Who?" I asked. He was talking too quietly for me to hear what he was saying.

He shook his head. "It's nothing, forget it."

I frowned, but I didn't press any further.

"So," Nico said, "is that your explanation as to why you stole my first kiss from me?"

"Ye—Wait, that was your first kiss?!" I exclaimed.

Nico shrugged. "So what? I actually thought I'd never get a kiss."

My eyes widened. Did Nico  _really_  manage to convince himself that no one would ever want him?

"Really?" I asked him, and he nodded.

"Is it that surprising?" He knit his eyebrows together.

"Yes, it is!" I answered strongly. "You're a great guy, Nico. In fact, you're even  _greater_  than great!"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Oh really?"

"Yes really," I responded. "I also wanted to ask you another thing."

"Which is?"

"Will you go out with me?" I blurted out before I could reject the idea in my head. "I mean..." My cheeks heated up instantly. "Be my boyfriend, will you?"

Nico's lips parted open in surprise. His cheeks became a deep hue of red once again, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Are... Are you  _serious_?" Nico asked me with his stunned expression still intact.

"I am," I responded automatically with no hesitation at all. "I... I like you, Nico. I want to be with you. Give me a chance. Please?"

"This has got to be some kind of mistake," Nico muttered. "You can't possibly like me.  _No one_  can like me."

"Why?" I questioned.

"It's just..." Nico stopped to think of the appropriate word. "It's just absolutely  _preposterous_ _!_ Why would anyone like someone like  _me_ _?!_ "

Nico was starting to resort to shouting at me now, and people were starting to stare. Hah, screw them. Making Nico realize how great he was just became my ultimate goal. I didn't care what people thought of us as we shouted next to the pond full of ducks. I just wanted to make Nico realize that he wasn't a horrible person.

"Nico, you make it sound like you're the worst person alive in the entire universe, but you're not!" I shouted back. I exhaled deeply, regaining my composure. In a much calmer voice, I said, "You're smart and funny with your sarcasm. You're a nice guy to be around, and you can keep up pretty good conversations. Sure you may be different from when we were in elementary school, but I'm still glad I fell in love with you."

"Love..." Nico repeated faintly.

I smiled. "Love, Nico. I  _love_  you. I don't want to call you my friend anymore. I want to be even  _more_  than that."

"Are you sure about that?" Nico timidly asked me. "These feelings you have could disappear soon. Maybe you could move on from me and—"

"Why are you so desperate to make me not love you?!"

"Because I don't deserve you!" Nico practically yelled. We were pretty much some kind of live drama TV show for the people at the park now.

Nico's teeth gritted together at a number of people staring at him. He spun on his heels and fled as fast as his feet could possibly take him.

"What the—Nico!" I ran after him. I was  _not_  done with talking to him.

When I caught up with him, I was at the foot of Half-Blood Hill. Well jeez, was Nico in track or something? Because he could surely run.

He turned around. His breathing was perfectly even as if he didn't run continuously from the park to the hill, which was about a mile away.

"I was hoping you'd follow me." Nico sighed. "There were too many people over there."

"What did you mean when you said you don't deserve me?" I narrowed my eyes, getting right back to the conversation we had before.

"Percy, you're even  _greater_  than me," he said. "You deserve some... I don't know... Some hot chick who's super smart or something,  _not_  me. I don't deserve someone as great as you, Percy. And you deserve someone even better than me."

"Does it look like I give a fuck about any of that?" I glared at him. I was starting to lose my patience. But if this was going to take awhile, then let it take awhile. I want Nico to know how much I want to be with him. If that's going to take a year, then let it be a year. I'd wait forever for Nico, even if that sounded super cheesy.

"I don't care who I deserve and who I don't deserve," I stated. "I only want you.  _You_ , Nico di Angelo. After this huge fight we had, I know now. I only want  _you_. Maybe  _I_  don't deserve you! But none of that matters to me. All that matters is making all of my fantasies a reality. Being with you as a friend was the best thing that ever happened in my high school years so far. Being with you as someone that I love? It'd be even better."

Nico's gaze dropped down to his shoes. "Are you sure you want to be with me?"

"I'm absolutely one-hundred percent positive I want to be with you, Nico."

He glanced up at me and gulped. I could tell he was conflicted about something, but it all ended when he stepped up toward me, wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and pulled me down into a light, timid kiss.

I smiled, wrapping my arms around his waist and pulling his body toward mine. I immediately responded back to what turned into a long, passionate kiss.

It was probably the best kiss I had ever experienced.


	28. 27) Chapter Twenty-Seven

We pulled away for air, but I didn't want to let him go. His lips were a bit bruised, and his eyes sparkled with happiness and joy. I guess my eyes had the same thing because I was beyond happy.

My arms were around his waist, and Nico's arms were around my shoulders. We stared into each other's eyes like some cheesy romantic movie, but I didn't really care.

After a few more minutes of getting lost in each other's eyes and catching our breath, Nico broke the silence.

"I have something to show you," he said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

I raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"My house," Nico put bluntly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Now I was just beyond confused. "It's just your house, isn't it? You make it sound like it's the biggest secret you've ever had."

"I told you to accept horrible memories instead of pushing them away, right?" Nico asked, and I slowly nodded.

"Yeah, but what about it?"

Nico shrugged. "I'm just trying to not be such a hypocrite anymore."

"I am so sorry but I have  _no_ idea what you're talking about." I blinked blankly, trying to process the information. How did showing his house to me make him not a hypocrite anymore? I mean, sure there were a lot of secrets that Nico hasn't told me yet, but I still didn't understand. Showing his house to me makes him accept memories he had been pushing away? Maybe he had some kind of secret in his room or something?

Nico rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't. I haven't really explained anything to you. Come on." He, unfortunately, took his hands off my shoulders and grabbed my hand.

Nico looked a little unsure of himself until I squeezed his hand and smiled.

"It's fine; go on," I reassured him. Nico blushed lightly, but he nodded, tugging me along toward his house.

* * *

We arrived at his front door. He stuck his hand into his front jeans pocket, digging for the key. When he found it, he unlocked and swung open the door.

The house was completely void of all sounds except for our footsteps echoing throughout the house against the polished, wooden floor. The walls were purely white as if he just bought a new house. A piano was against the wall next to me in a corner that was made up of just windows. In the opposite corner sat a fireplace surrounded by black and dark violet cushioned seats and a black coffee table. In the far right corner were stairs with the same polished wooden floor.

"It's so quiet here," I remarked as Nico closed the door behind me so softly it was as if he didn't want to disrupt the never-ending silence in his house.

He shrugged. "It's always like that except for when I feel like playing the piano—which is never."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, removing my shoes and placing them on the shoe rack full of black Converse, Adidas, Nikes, and Vans.

I narrowed my eyes. "Is this  _entire_ shoe rack yours?"

He nodded, placing his current shoes on the top shelf. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Where would everyone else's shoes go?" I asked. "Like, you know, your mom's shoes or your dad's shoes. Didn't Bianca have an obsession with shoes too? Where would hers go?"

"Why would they need to have a place for their shoes if they're not even  _here?_ " Nico snapped. He shut his eyes and exhaled deeply. When his eyes reopened, I didn't see that sparkle of joy and happiness I saw earlier. Instead, I saw nothing.

"Sorry," Nico apologized. "That... I didn't mean—"

"It's fine, Nico." I chuckled lightly. I brushed my hand against his cheek. "I'm guessing this is what you wanted to show me?"

Nico took my hand again as he nodded. "Come upstairs with me. I want to show you something."

Before I could even reply, he dragged me up his wooden stairs. The suspense was killing me as we slowly climbed each step as if we were in some kind of horror movie and something was waiting for us just up these stairs. Well, the audience knew that something was up the stairs; if the characters in the movie knew, then I was pretty positive the characters wouldn't even go up the stairs. I swear people in horror movies didn't have common sense or logic.

We reached the beginning of the hallway. Door after door were all along the two walls on either side of me. They all had fancy, golden doorknobs and each door was black, which contrasted the white walls. There were five doors: Three on the left wall and two on the right wall.

"Open each door," Nico ordered me, loosening his grip on my hand. "Tell me what you see."

I frowned at the random command, but I nodded. I, unfortunately, took my hand away from Nico's and opened each door.

The first one on my left was a bedroom. Well, I assumed it was one. It had a dark purple blanket and white pillows. A mirror which revealed a sliding closet was on the left wall, and a desk was at the very far wall along with a large window. The pale blue curtains were closed, but I could see framed photographs on the desk. Most of them were of a little girl around 12 years-old. The thing I found weird was that there was dust.  _Everywhere._

Dust covered corners on the ground and inside the closet. The clothes inside the closet looked as if they haven't been touched in years. The bed wasn't made, and the desk seemed very dusty as well.

My eyes narrowed at the sight. Didn't someone use this bedroom? Why was it so dusty?

I opened the second door on the left wall. It was a bathroom. Thankfully, it looked like it had been used very recently. Maybe it was just the last bedroom that hadn't been used?

The third room on the left wall contradicted my thoughts. This room was most likely the master bedroom. It was much bigger than the last bedroom, and the queen-sized bed was meant for two people. A hallway on the right wall led toward what I assumed to be the bathroom. A large window, bigger than the last window, was behind the bed. A coffee table sat in the nearest corner to my left, and it was full of framed photographs, makeup, and fragrances. A long mirror was above the table hanging on the wall. It was weird because this room was dusty too.

I proceeded toward the other wall in the main hallway. The one across of the master bedroom was a guest room, I think. The bedsheet was forest green, and a small desk with a lamp on it was right next to the bed. A window was located right next to the lamp, and there was a large, circular rug patterned with blue and green was in the center. A closet covered the left wall. This room hadn't been used either.

Dust... Dust  _everywhere._

The last room I checked looked livelier than the others. Inside the closet, all I could see was black clothing. Boxes were on the very top shelf in the closet as well. A black bed sat in the far left corner, and a dark wooden desk was located right next to the bed. A black, furry rug was placed in the center, and a black electric guitar was in the corner to my left.

"That's my room," Nico said, suddenly appearing by my side. I almost jumped and slammed my head against the doorway. Thankfully, I didn't.

I nodded. "But, what's up with the other rooms? It looks like they haven't been used in  _years_. Doesn't your family use those rooms?" A thought suddenly came into my mind. "By the way, where are they, anyway?"

He shrugged. "Who knows where they are now. They could be either below us or above us. I don't know where they'd be."

I knit my eyebrows together. "What are you  _talking_  about?"

Nico sighed heavily. "They're dead, Percy. They're all gone. Never to return again."


	29. 28) Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm skimming through each chapter for any mistakes, and wow am I feeling the feels or what.

"Wh-What?" I stuttered, still not understanding what Nico was telling me.

Nico gritted his teeth tightly together. "Don't make me say it again."

"You're joking... Right?" I asked breathlessly.

Nico didn't answer. He was slightly shaking, but it would've been unnoticeable if I didn't concentrate hard enough. Nico's hand were clenched together so tightly his knuckles were white. His hands slipped back into his pockets, and that was when I went into autopilot.

I practically sprinted toward him only to tug his hands out of his pockets to pull him against me and into a kiss.

Nico didn't kiss back—he was probably too surprised to do anything. But it was okay. I finally found out why I felt so weird around Nico. I finally found out why every touch with him felt like fire. All I needed was to be close to Nico. I was satisfied with just that.

"What are you doing?" Nico asked as best as he could with his lips shoved against mine.

I pulled away and offered him a smile before pulling him back toward me for a hug.

"Just comforting you, is all," I answered.

"I don't need any comforting," Nico snapped against my shoulder. "I've handled it alone for years; I can do it again for the rest of my life."

"Maybe you could." My grip around him tightened. "But I owe you a favor for helping me before when we were at Half-Blood Hill."

"You don't  _need_ to," Nico stubbornly refused, but I was a lot more stubborn than he was. "I'm fine by myself, Perce. Let me go."

My heart began to pound even more from the fact that Nico just called me by my nickname. Why that made my heart pound I didn't know, but maybe it was because of the way Nico said my name made me feel full of joy.

This time, I chose to not ignore the constant thumping of my heart. "You know I'm not letting you go," I replied.

Nico sighed exasperatedly. "I had a feeling you would say that."

A long silence settled upon us, but it wasn't uncomfortable as it was before. I liked the silence as long as I was able to hold Nico in my arms for an eternity.

"This is wrong," Nico suddenly broke the silence. "This is  _all_ wrong."

"What's wrong?"

" _This._ What we're doing right now. What you just did before after you took my hands out of my pockets. It's all  _wrong_ _,_ Perce."

"Why?" My heart seemed to break when Nico was talking about the kiss.

"Percy," Nico began, "think about this. I'm a  _guy_ —"

"Why the fuck would I  _care_ about that?" I growled. "I told you Nico, I—"

"You don't," Nico put bluntly. "Think about it more. Maybe you don't care about the fact that I'm a guy. But do you know how to get someone to love you in the easiest way possible?"

"What is it?" I asked hesitantly.

"Take their heart while they're broken," he answered. "They'll love you because you fixed them. You don't love  _me,_ Percy, you love the fact that I fixed you."

"No, I don't!" I rejected so strongly that my throat hurt.

Nico pushed me harshly away. "Percy.  _Look at me._ " I hesitantly glanced at him. His expression was absolutely furious; so furious that it made me cringe.

_"_ You don't understand! You  _think_ you love me, but you don't!" Nico practically yelled at me. He stopped, taking slow, deep breaths to calm himself. When he was done, he looked straight into my eyes. "Let's just stop this 'relationship,' okay? Trust me, your feelings will be gone within a few days or weeks. Once the breakup with Annabeth calms down a bit, your 'feelings' for me will be gone."

My heart ached at the thought of never being able to hold Nico like I did just now. "I don't want to," I whispered. I was afraid my voice would crack if I spoke too loudly.

"Maybe you don't now." Nico sighed. "But in the future when we're together, you're gonna regret it."

"What if I don't and we break up now and it was all for nothing?!" I screamed back at him.

"Wait a few weeks. If you still love me, then try again," Nico answered calmly. "For now, let's not do  _this._ "

I gulped. I didn't want to stop. Why couldn't he just understand that I loved him? It wasn't because I was weak and desperate to look for someone to love. No, it definitely wasn't that. I loved him even before the breakup. Why did Nico have to do this to me?

"Do you still love me?" I asked. My heart ached even more at the thought of Nico's answer, but I asked him anyway. My curiosity overruled my throbbing heart.

Nico stayed silent for awhile, and it made me even more nervous. I couldn't stand this uncomfortable silence anymore. I wanted the silence I had with him just a few minutes ago. Why couldn't that just come back? Why did this even have to happen?

"I do," Nico finally answered. "I... Loved you since fourth grade."

"Fourth..." I couldn't comprehend this either. Nico loved me for  _that fucking long?!_

"You don't have to say it." Nico sighed once more. "I know it's been a really long time. I actually tried to get rid of my feelings for you when I was in middle school. I thought I succeeded until I saw you again. It all just went downhill from there."

"Fourth grade..." I repeated in a mere mutter, hanging my head low. "I can't even believe it..."

"You kind of have to because it's the truth," Nico stated, leaning against the door frame of his room.

I looked back up to him. "Can I..." My shoulders immediately tensed up from nervousness. "Can I have just one more kiss from you?" My hand grasped my T-shirt against my chest. "I love this feeling I have for you. I don't want it to go away. So, in case it does go away, I just want to share one more kiss with you. Please?"

Nico looked uncertain, but he wrapped his arms around my neck and pushed his lips onto mine. I smiled, and I was surprised myself when a tear rolled down my cheek as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

I never, ever,  _ever_ wanted this feeling to go away. I was going to prove to Nico that I loved him if it was the last thing that I do.

_I love you, Nico. I really, really do. Don't let me go like this._


	30. 29) Chapter Twenty-Nine

"So what happened to your family?" I broke the awkward silence and tension between Nico and me. After my... last kiss with Nico, we were now sitting on his bed in silence, doing absolutely nothing. It was okay though; as long as I had Nico, I didn't need anything more.

I was sitting at the very edge of his bed. My heart was beating rapidly, and I did  _not_ trust myself to be laying down in the bed like Nico was currently doing. I mean, would you not get nervous when you were laying in the same bed as the person you pretty much  _loved_? Yeah, you could say I was nervous.

Nico—like I said just previously—was laying on his back in his bed. His hands were behind his head, and his eyes were shut. He looked so peaceful that way. It also looked like he was thinking pretty hard about something, but I couldn't guess what it was.

He cracked an eye open and glanced at me when I broke the silence with my question. Nico stared up at me with this blank, almost tired, gaze. His other eye opened, and his half-lidded eyes made me thankful that I wasn't laying in bed with him or I would've taken him on the spot.

"Sorry, what?" Nico raised a weary eyebrow at me. Apparently whatever he was thinking about took a lot of concentration.

"What happened to your family?" I repeated my question. "How did they... You know..."

Nico sat up, and our faces became so close that I couldn't help the blush that appeared across my face. Nico couldn't help it either, and he quickly turned his head away from mine. I could see him biting his lip so dangerously hard it looked as if he would split his lip open.

"Uh, my family?" he asked, still obviously a bit stunned from that momentary exchange between us. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure. I chewed on the inside of my cheek from how close we were. I would've scooted a bit further away, but I thought the action would come off as rude.

Nico took a deep breath. "My family... Well, not all of them are... Dead."

"They're not?" My eyes widened in surprise as I blurted out the sentence.

He shook his head, glancing at me once more. "My dad left for some woman named Persephone. I never really saw him again, so I like to consider him as dead to me. He deserves it after leaving my mom."

"Isn't your mom..." I trailed off, thinking of the appropriate words to say. "Isn't your mom gone?"

"She is," Nico's voice cracked, and he glared at the wall behind me. "She was electrocuted."

" _What_?!"

Nico nodded. "Yeah, she was electrocuted and died. From what, I don't know. I was four when it happened, so I don't remember it too well. Whenever I asked my dad, he would refuse to tell me. Whenever I asked my sister, she would burst into tears. I kind of gave up and stuck with the explanation that I still have."

"O-Oh." I gulped. "I'm so—"

"Don't apologize," Nico abruptly cut me off. "First of all, it's not even your fault. Why do you have to apologize for something that you weren't even there for? Second of all, I just... Don't want sympathy or any form of pity."

I nodded. "Okay. I'm so—Wait, never mind. I almost just apologized there."

Nico chuckled, despite the difficult memories he was telling me. "You shouldn't apologize for  _every little thing_  you know. It makes you seem weak and inferior. Unless you're  _trying_ to be like that, then apologize by all means. But there's a lot of things that don't necessarily need an apology. Just keep that in mind."

I nodded slowly. Nico surely taught me a lot of things that I never really knew about. I apologized about  _everything_ _,_ even if it didn't include me. I don't know why I did, though; it was just a habit, I guess.

"No wonder," I muttered. "You never mentioned your mom to me now that I think of it. How... How did your sister die?" I asked.

Nico's eyes had some kind of faraway look in his dark chocolate eyes as if he were looking into another world. "My sister, huh? It's kind of depressing, really. My dad wanted to take my sister and me on a vacation. Do you remember when you were in sixth grade and you asked me what I'd be doing during the summer?"

I nodded, faintly recalling the memory. It was just a few days before the last day of school. I wanted to do something with Grover and Nico since Grover and I wouldn't see Nico in school until we were juniors in high school.

* * *

_"Me?"_

_I grinned. "Yeah! What are you doing for summer break, Neeks?"_

_Nico shrugged. "My dad wants to take me and my sister to California."_

_"_ California _?!" Grover cried in astonishment. "Dude that's_ amazing _! I want to go with you!"_

_Nico cracked a small smile. "I wish you could come too._ _Unless you want to come with us in a hot and sweaty car for a few days."_

_Grover made a face. "That doesn't sound very exciting."_

_I shrugged. "At least airplanes aren't involved."_

_Grover punched my arm playfully. "You are such a scaredy cat whenever it comes to heights"_

_"I've never had good experiences with heights!" I retorted. "My grandparents died from an airplane crash. And I always drop stuff from high places. It's as if someone purposefully makes me hate being up high in the air!"_

_Grover laughed. "Aw, come on dude. Being up high isn't_ that  _bad."_

_Nico and I both glanced at him with skeptical expressions on our faces. Nico and I both hated being up high and away from sea level. I just hated being up so high, but Nico was afraid of heights. He despised being so far away from the ground._

_Grover put his hands up in the air. "Okay, okay! I get it; it's a big deal. Well, to you guys, anyway."_

_Nico rolled his eyes. "I don't know if my dad will let you come, anyway. If you guys come, then that gives my sis an excuse to bring_ her  _friends._

_Grover pouted. "_ What?!  _I want to go! We won't see each other at school anymore, though!"_

_Nico shrugged. "Sorry, G-man."_

_He crossed his arms. "This ain't fair."_

_I chuckled. "California will be so cool though! Tell us about it, okay?"_

_Nico nodded excitedly. "Okay!"_

_"You better remember to tell us, Neeks!" Grover cut in._

_He grinned. "I'll tell you everything!"_

* * *

It was kind of depressing. Nico never actually told neither Grover nor me about his vacation in California. Now I knew why.

He just didn't want to relive the moments of his sister's death if he told it to us.


	31. 30) Chapter Thirty

"What happened while you were in California?" I asked.

Nico shrugged. "An earthquake. The hotter it is, the more likely an earthquake will happen. In California that summer, it was  _really_ hot.

"My dad was driving us somewhere. I don't remember where or why we were going, but I remember Bianca being really excited and happy about it. I was confused at the time. I didn't know what was so great about it even though Bianca said it was 'the happiest place in the world.'"

I furrowed my eyebrows. The happiest place in the world? Well, I guess any place would be the happiest place in the world if Nico was there with me.

"Then what happened?" I pressed him further.

Nico gulped, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists. "You know, I wouldn't be here if not for her."

I blinked blankly. "What?"

"She sacrificed her life for me, Percy!" Nico suddenly yelled, making me jump slightly. "Can you be  _any more stupid_?!"

I flinched. Jeez, that statement left a mark.

"I'm... Sorry." I glanced down at my lap in disappointment. Sure I knew I could be stupid. You didn't have to rub it in my face like that though.  _Especially_ if you were a certain particular guy that I liked.

Warm hands were placed on either side of my face, gently moving my gaze until it landed on the most stunning human being I would ever find in my entire life.

Porcelain-like skin that looked so smooth and soft it seemed as if it would be softer than clouds. The contrasting, dark brown eyes against his skin made his eyes look more gorgeous. And his hair... Goddamn it, don't get me started on his good-smelling, silky-soft hair. But his addicting lips were so much more addicting once they actually touched yours. Shit, the more I stared at his parted lips, the more tempting it seemed to take him.

Fuck, fuck,  _fuck._ How did Nico make me feel like this without doing  _anything_?

"I already told you, you don't have to apologize for anything," Nico stated gently, swiftly moving his right thumb to create tiny, invisible circles.

"Sorr—Shit." I chuckled lightly.

Nico offered me a small smile, but for some reason, I saw regret and sorrow swirling in his dark brown eyes. "Don't look like that," he said.

"Look like what?"

"You look like you're about to cry." Nico rested his forehead against mine, making me blush darkly.

"Am I?" I asked, staring deeply into Nico's dark orbs.

Nico nodded slowly. "I... I hate it when you look like that."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why?"

"It just hurts me," Nico answered quietly. "Whenever you're sad, it makes me sad."

I pushed him forward, wrapping my arms around his waist as I kissed him passionately. He ended up on my lap, and the only time we separated was when we needed a second of breath.

He wrapped his arms around my neck and pushed his lips deeper against mine. I only smiled and obliged, licking the bottom of his lip. Nico opened his mouth and my tongue delved inside. He fisted my hair and groaned as I explored the warmth from his wet tongue.

We separated one more time for air. I would've got in to kiss him again, but Nico was panting so hard it sounded like he had just ran a million miles.

"Percy... You..." He was still panting pretty hard. His lips were slightly bruised, and it made it even more tempting to make something more down his body a bit more bruised.

"I what?" I raised an eyebrow, smirking a bit.

"I can't believe you just did that."

I shrugged. "I can't believe you didn't push away."

He punched me on the arm. "You idiot," he muttered, but I could see him slightly blushing.

I chuckled, running a hand through his perfectly combed, but messy hair. "I love you, Nico."

He frowned. "I told you not to say that to me."

"Just give me a chance!" I pleaded. "I promise I'll still love you. My feelings I have for you... They aren't fake!"

"You can't promise me anything like that," Nico retorted.

"Just... Just one chance okay?"

Nico sighed heavily. "I can't Percy. I'll regret it later. And so will—"

I kissed him once more. I wanted to be with him  _so badly_ it made my heart hurt at the thought of not being with him.

"Percy," he said against my lips, but that didn't stop me from deepening the kiss, moving my lips sensually against his.

After a few moments, he pulled away, taking in more deep breaths. "Percy... You idiot."

Before I could even reply to that, he furiously pushed his lips back onto mine. We probably stayed like that for an hour. I don't know, time seems to pass by pretty quickly when you're making out with the one that you loved with all of your heart.

Yeah, it was official. I  _love_ Nico di Angelo.


	32. 31) Chapter Thirty-One

"You realize that what we're doing is completely wrong, right?"

I hummed. "How so?"

Nico lifted his head off of my chest with a roll of his eyes. "I told you; I'm not dating you until you're done with that inner trauma of yours and you're absolutely sure that you actually love me."

I stared up at him with pleading eyes. "Why?" I whined like a little child who couldn't get what they wanted.

"I don't even know if you actually love me. I can't take stupid risks like this Percy."

"Then what about you? How do you even know if—-"

"I've loved you since fourth grade," he interrupted. "I'm pretty sure that if my feelings were fake back then, then I wouldn't be in this bed with you."

I sighed deeply out of exhaustion. "What if I told you I suspected my feelings for you while I dated Annabeth?"

Nico blinked blankly at me. "Wait... What?"

"I mean, before when I was dating Annabeth and I finally found out that you go to this school, I started too-—"

" _Woof woof!_ "

My eyes widened and I sat up in alarm when I suddenly heard rapid footsteps against Nico's stairs. It  _definitely_ did not sound like whatever was running up the stairs was human. Either that or this person just had inhumane speed.

A large, furry animal appeared at the doorway, and for the first time in centuries, I heard Nico's sweet and genuine laugh.

"There you are!" Nico exclaimed which seemed completely out of character for him.

I was still in momentary shock as I watched the large organism jump onto the bed and shove its head underneath Nico's hand. It was as if the animal wanted attention.

"It took awhile for you to notice I was home, huh girl?" Nico furiously rubbed what could be identified as a husky which now rolled onto its back. And, now it was confirmed that the gender of the husky  _was_ indeed a girl. Was it bad I felt kind of jealous that the dog was getting more attention from Nico than me?

The husky was black, and I always thought Huskies were kind and gentle, but this one stared at me with cold eyes full of malice like a wild animal stalking its prey.

Nico's gaze switched from the dog over to me. "I forgot to introduce you to her. This is my dog, Mrs. O'Leary."

" _Mrs. O'Leary_ ," I repeated with amusement lacing my tone of voice. "I would love to hear where you got that name."

Nico shrugged. "I got her at some shelter that I don't remember very well. The person who ran the shelter said that Mrs. O'leary was a puppy of this dog along with a few others, and he wanted the puppies to keep the name that he gave them when they were born."

Mrs. O'Leary growled quietly at me, and Nico rolled his eyes.

"Stop it; Percy's a nice guy," Nico chastised, removing his hand from her stomach and allowing her to cautiously recognize my scent. Her ears perked up and she started to wag her tail back and forth as if she has remembered me from somewhere. It was a bit scary because her tail almost knocked over practically everything hanging on Nico's bedroom walls.

I chuckled, bringing my palm up toward Mrs. O'leary, who gladly obliged and excitedly sniffed my hand.

"It's weird because she never likes people," Nico commented next to me. "I guess she really likes you for some reason. Apparently, dogs can tell whether people have a good or bad aura or something along the lines of that."

"So, I'm guessing I have a good aura, then," I replied, and in the corner of my eyes, I could spot the slight shrug of Nico's shoulders. "Maybe she knows that I'm not  _lying._ "

Nico rolled his eyes once more. "Percy, why can't you just let that go? If you really, truly loved me, then you'd be able to wait right?"

"I probably would be able to," I answered. "But it only bugs me because I love you, but you don't believe me at all!"

Nico averted his gaze down to a confused Mrs. O'Leary who was now laying comfortably on the mattress on her side. He stroked her fur softly in silence, not daring to say some sort of comeback or retort to my previous exclamation.

"Look." I ran an impatient hand through my hair. "What I was  _trying_ to say before Mrs. O'Leary came in was that I am absolutely positive that I fell in love with you while I was dating Annabeth. I didn't fall in love with you when I was in my weak... state after the breakup with Annabeth."

Nico narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me. "How do you know that? Maybe you just directed your feelings with Annabeth toward me merely by accident because Annabeth was always with you whenever I was around."

"Maybe that could be true," I said. "But I know it's not. The weird..." I paused to attempt to think of an appropriate word to describe the hormonal and perverted daydreams that I had multiple times whenever I zoned out while engaging in a conversation with Nico.

He raised an eyebrow. "The weird?"

"The weird... Fantasies that I have of you. I am  _certain_  that those aren't fake," I finished.

"Fan-ta-sies?" Nico pronounced slowly as if he had trouble processing the word through the super intelligent brain of his. With each syllable, Nico's face became a deeper shade of red.

I smiled in embarrassment as my own cheeks became a deep hue of red. "Y-yeah. But the point is," I cleared my throat in order to regain my composure and finish my monologue, "I really do love you, Nico. I'd do  _anything_ for you. I'd jump into the depths of Hell if you asked me to do it."

I searched his face to see any sign of agreement to my words. "I have never, ever,  _ever_ been in love like this before. I mean, with Annabeth, yeah it was cool. I loved her; I could've said it to her all the time when we dated. But with you, I just want to say it every second of my life. Nico di Angelo..." I smiled. "It's such a beautiful name. It rolls off my tongue so easily I could say it a million times."

"Your soft hair and skin, your large and innocent eyes that could make you look so cute and intimidating at the same time. Your plump lips that just  _beg_ to be kissed by me. Your intelligence always seems to surprise me every time, and your sarcasm always makes me laugh. I feel so much happier around you than I do with everyone else. It's why I brought only you to Half-Blood Hill with me. I didn't want anyone but you, as cheesy as this sounds along with everything else that I'm saying. But, I'm serious. I feel so peaceful and better and, and  _wonderful_ around you. And I never use that word! So please, Nico di Angelo, just once chance? I won't blow it, I swear. Well, I'll blow you but I won't blow the promise."

Nico managed a laugh at my last sentence, resulting in a smile from my own face. He glanced at Mrs. O'Leary as if asking for her consent before pinning me down onto the mattress and pressing his lips against mine. It felt so refreshing knowing that I was kissing Nico. I mean, yeah, of course, it was something that I had to get used to. I never had experience with kissing guys, but it felt so nice and pleasurable. It was as if I could melt under the mere touch of his godly lips.

I grabbed a hold of his hips and set him upon my lap, and Nico ended up straddling me. Both of his hands were clasped on the side of my face while my hands drifted all over Nico's body. It just seemed too unbelievable that I was finally kissing the love of my life.

I swiped Nico's bottom lip with my tongue, but he didn't seem to react to the action which displeased me greatly. Instead, I forced Nico's mouth to open, and my tongue slid into eternal warmth and paradise. Gods, he tasted  _so good._ I didn't care if I sounded completely creepy and perverted, but holy shit Nico's taste was addicting. It only fueled me to quicken the exploration of his mouth, and I moaned in tremendous pleasure when I felt Nico's tongue against mine.

Nico soon pushed away, and I whined at the sudden loss of then pleasurable feeling. He rolled his eyes at my reaction and began to get off of my lap, but my hands against his hips prevented from doing so.

"You can't just leave me hanging Nico," I complained, thrusting my hips against Nico to emphasize my point. Whether I was teasing him or being serious, I wasn't exactly sure myself.

A moan slipped between Nico's delicious lips from my sudden thrust, and I could tell his reaction was an accident because his face immediately became red out of embarrassment.

A smirk soon came on my lips. "So you liked that, huh?" I thrust my hips against him again, elucidating yet another moan from Nico which sent goosebumps along the surface of my skin.

"Stop it," Nico gasped, and it obviously sounded like he wanted me to continue my motions. "We are  _not_  having sex on the first day of our relationship."

I whined. "Why not?"

He rolled his eyes for what seemed to be the third or fourth time. I glanced at Mrs. O'Leary from the corner of my eyes, but she was already knocked out on the very edge of Nico's bed.

Nico crawled off of my lap, but before he could get any further, I wrapped my arms around Nico's neck and pulled him down into a sweet and passionate kiss that seemed to express the amount of love that we shared for each other. It was such a perfect day for me.

Absolutely perfect.


	33. 32) Chapter Thirty-Two

"Percy?" I faintly heard some angelic voice call me from heaven. I was pretty sure I was somewhat half-asleep, but at the same time, I wanted to go back to sleep.

"Percy!" It called again, more urgently. Something large was jumping up and down next to me, and that was when I had to wake up to the quick swipe of something wet along my cheek. And yes, it was  _very_ unpleasant.

I groggily cracked my eyes open and light flooded my vision. I was about to shut my eyes closed but that gorgeous angel that was calling my name before came in view. He was frowning at me, and god did he look cute. Someone was heavily panting next to me, and a swipe of that wet substance along my cheek again made me finally awake.

"Nico?" was the first word that left my mouth. "Who keeps licking me?

"Mrs. O'Leary," Nico stated flatly. "It's like eleven at night now. Are you going home or what?"

I blinked a few times and sat up—partially with the help of my beautiful angel. Don't tell him I keep calling him that. I'm pretty sure the stunning angel would send me to Hell for it.

"When did you wake up?" I questioned, rubbing my eyes, attempting to adjust my view, and get used to the light.

"Around... Eight o'clock, maybe?" Nico surmised, glancing at his wall clock and imagining what the small hand was pointing to when he woke up.

I chuckled softly. "I had no idea I even fell asleep."

He shrugged, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed. "You fell asleep before me. I was going to wake you up for dinner, but I felt kind of bad. You looked so peaceful."

I smiled. "Nico di Angelo feeling bad for someone?" I pinched his cheek in a teasing manner, but he slapped my hand away with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, just shut up. Are you going home or what?" he asked again as Mrs. O'Leary decided to make some room and lay down between us. What a protective dog. It wasn't like I was going to touch Nico or anything! Okay, I admit, I  _really_ wanted to kiss Nico, but I would've probably escalated the kiss into something a bit more touchy and just a little less clothing.  _Just a little._

"Yeah, I most likely will. Do you want to come over again?"

Nico shook his head. "I don't think your stepdad likes me very much."

"Oh yeah." I laughed. "He's just a bit suspicious, is all. I mean, he's never met you before, yet my mom welcomes you with both arms open. I would've welcomed you with both legs open, but you know."

He kicked me so hard in the stomach I probably would've thrown up all my food if I actually ate dinner. I still wanted to taste Nico's cooking though.

"You and your stupid innuendos," Nico muttered, but to my amusement, he had a slight tint of pink added to his cheeks that wasn't there before.

I smirked. "I couldn't help myself. But yeah, I'm going home. Do you want to hang out tomorrow? It's Saturday tomorrow, and I don't think I'm doing anything."

"Are you asking me on a date, Percy?"

He put it so bluntly I couldn't help but blush. I didn't even realize I just asked him out.

"Maybe I am," I stated quietly while Mrs. O'Leary glanced up at me. I was pretty sure she was planning my death for later.

Nico smiled and I probably would've kissed him right then and there if not for Mrs. O'Leary's presumable death glare directed at me which seemed to say,  _Touching him will be the last thing you would ever be able to do alive._

"Sure. I'll go. But where are we going?"

I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows. "Woah, you're going really far. I haven't even decided what time it'll be."

He shrugged once more. "At least you planned that it'd be on a Saturday."

I smiled in amusement. "I'll just come and get you and then I'll decide on something."

"Alright. Works for me." Nico nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

I nodded, getting off the bed and walking around to the entrance of his room. "See you tomorrow." I leaned down and pecked his nose lightly before going back home.

* * *

"Where were you, Perseus Jackson?!" My mom screeched when I opened my front door.

I smiled sheepishly, shutting the door softly behind me. "At my friend's house."

My mom huffed exasperatedly. "Seriously, Percy. You can at the very least text me where you're going to be. This is the purpose of your cell phone!"

"Sorry, Mom."

She sighed. "I called you many, many times, Percy. Why didn't you answer at least one of my calls?"

I frowned and pulled out my phone from my back pocket. Sure enough, there were thirteen missed calls from my mom.

"Oh. Well, I guess you decided to call me when I was sleeping," I put bluntly.

She rolled her eyes. "You go to school one day and never come back until it's eleven PM. Who does that?"

"I do?"

"Well apparently so." She sighed as she took a seat on the couch. "Whose house did you go to, anyway?"

"Nico's," I simply answered.

"Oh," my mom drawled, turning on the television. "Nico's house, huh? How's his family doing these days?"

I froze at the question. "Maybe I'll tell you later."

She hummed. "Whatever you say, Percy. But next time, please use your cell phone."

"I will!" I called to her as I jogged up the stairs.

I threw my backpack down by my desk and collapsed onto my bed. My mom didn't like getting the sheets dirty with my shoes, but I can deal with that later. Well, I usually say that every time.

The events of the whole day flooded through my brain like when Jimmy Neutron has a brain blast when he's trying to solve some scientific problem, like accidentally getting everyone at his school sick. Has anyone seen that cartoon when they were little or is that just me sounding crazy?

I sighed heavily. It still felt weird knowing that I wasn't with Annabeth anymore, and it felt extra weird knowing that I was dating Nico now.

_Dating your own best friend, huh?_ I thought to myself. I still couldn't believe that every single feeling and emotion that I had whenever I was around Nico was love.

I pulled out my phone and decided to send a message:

**Hey G man**

**I broke up with Annabeth today so dont be stupid and bring it up later.**

I had no idea if he was even awake or not, but I was pretty positive he was. I was about to place my phone on my desk and sleep, but my phone vibrated in my hand before I could do anything of the sort.

It was a message from Grover:

**Excuse me what do you even mean by that EXPLAIN MR JACKSON.**

I smiled and replied back with a simple response:

**Its exactly what it means G man.**

My phone vibrated immediately after I pressed the send button. Wow, Grover was really eager for some answers. I decided to be the good friend I am and leave him with absolutely no explanation by putting my phone down, kicking off my sneakers, and falling right back to sleep.


	34. 33) Chapter Thirty-Three

I opened my eyes and almost screamed like a little girl.  _Almost._

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" I practically screamed at the person who sat in my desk chair with his arms crossed as he watched me sleep.  _Wow_ he looked pissed.

"Just wanted you to explain to me what you meant by your text yesterday," he stated firmly with a small smile across his face-probably from how scared I seemed to be when I found him  _watching me in my sleep._

"Well good gods, you could've at least waited for me until I got downstairs." I sat up in my bed, no longer tired after how badly he frightened me.

He shrugged. "Where's the fun in that?" He smirked at me. "I wanted to see what your reaction to me being in your room would be anyway."

I rolled my eyes. "So, G-man, you wanted an explanation for the texts I sent you last night?"

"Yes I do and I want them now!"

I hummed. "Maybe after breakfast I'll tell you."

"Perce, are you kidding me?" Grover groaned exasperatedly. "Just tell me now and I'll let you do whatever you want."

I pretended to contemplate the idea. "Nah. Maybe after I brush my teeth too."

"I will kick you in the balls if you don't tell me now," he threatened, but I already knew he wouldn't actually do such a thing.

"Go ahead G-man!" I laughed and left the room with a groaning Grover.

I ran down the stairs, and soon enough, I heard Grover's footsteps behind me. My mom turned to me once she heard us and smiled before going back and attending to the food on the stove. Whatever she was making, it smelled absolutely delicious.

"I'm guessing you were surprised by Grover's sudden presence in your room?" Paul asked me from the couch, reading another book once again.  _The Violin That Started it All_  was the title of the book. I wonder what the violin even started. Was it a war? Was it treason? An adventure? A death of someone? Well, whatever the book was about, that violin surely started a lot, because the book seemed  _really_ long.

"Surprised? He screamed! It was so great to watch that! Oh man, you should've seen his expression." Grover laughed as the event played throughout his mind once more. I only rolled my eyes at it before going into the kitchen and getting something to eat for breakfast.

I sat at the dining table and attempted to eat my cereal very, very, painfully slow just to see what kind of reaction Grover would have. To my amusement, he got pretty impatient up to the point where he started hitting the table and begging on his knees. I must say, I did a pretty good job.

" _Perce_! Don't do this to me!"

"Woops."

" _Perseus Jackson_!"

"Yes, Grover Underwood?"

"Eat faster!"

"Nah."

"Why does Grover want you to eat so fast?" My mom turned around to look at me. "Well, you are eating pretty slow."

I chuckled. "Maybe it's on purpose."

" _Maybe_?!"

"Yes Grover,  _maybe._ "

"Does Grover want you to do something with you or something?" My mom asked with an amused expression as she watched Grover complain.

I shook my head. "I told him I'd explain something to him after I finished eating and brushing my teeth and everything else I usually do in the morning."

"And he's taking such a long time of doing it!" Grover wailed.

My mom laughed lightly. "Why don't you tell him while you're eating, Percy?"

"Yeah Percy," Grover agreed.

I shrugged, stuffing my mouth full of cereal. "It's rude to talk with your mouth full."

"You're doing it right now!" Grover gestured wildly at me with his hands. "Since when did you have good table manners anyway?"

"Just now," I replied simply, swallowing my breakfast.

Grover rolled his eyes with a sigh of exasperation. "Just tell me Perce! I don't even care if you're eating now." He chuckled "That sounded really wrong but I'm just going to go with it."

It was now my turn to roll my eyes. "Long story short, I'm dating Nico now."

A long silence passed between Grover and my mom, and I could see their expressions slowly morph from confusion to complete and utter surprise. I wanted to laugh at their ridiculous expressions, but I didn't know if they even accepted the idea. I mean, they probably thought I was straight, and now all of a sudden I'm dating a guy. Surprise, surprise! I'm bisexual now!

"Wait, wait,  _wait_. Hold on." Grover put a hand up in the air. "You're dating your best friend from elementary school?!" Grover looked completely astonished, and his expression was absolutely priceless.

"Well, yes I am," I said matter-of-factly with a satisfied smile on my face.

"That's... Wow." Now Grover looked more dumbfounded than surprised as if he just couldn't comprehend a single word that I was saying.

"Yeah, I'm hanging out with him later today," I stated, placing my now empty bowl into the sink.

"You mean you're going on a  _date_ with him?" Grover wiggled his eyebrows at me, and a blush formed on my face that I failed trying to hide.

My mom laughed at me-what a supporting mom I mean seriously.

"Yeah, I guess I am," I muttered. "Nico corrected me for that too."

"Hah!" Grover exclaimed triumphantly. "Neeks is still same like before. Even if he's a bit more scary-looking."

I laughed. "I'm going to tell Nico that later."

"Wha-Dude! Actually, I kind of want to see his reaction," Grover said. "Can I come with you? Oh, wait never mind. I don't want to be the cock-block I'm sorry. I'll just let you guys do whatever you want in the bathroom."

"You better not be doing anything too forward to Nico, Percy," my mom warned with a teasing smile on her lips. "You only just started dating him after all."

"Mom I won't!" I practically yelled, my blush becoming a deeper shade of red.

" _Aw_ , is Percy  _embarrassed_?" Grover joked with a huge grin on his face.

"I can't even believe you guys," I said quietly while shaking my head. I glanced at the clock. "I think I'll head to Nico's now I guess."

"Make yourself look presentable Mr. Perce!" Grover yelled to me, trying to not laugh at my probably ridiculous expression.

"I will, I will." I laughed before going upstairs to get ready.


	35. 34) Chapter Thirty-Four

Grover had decided to come with me for a little while because when I was getting ready, Grover was, apparently, thinking about my relationship with Nico and then ended up not believing me about it. I attempted to convince him that it was all 100% true, but he still didn't really believe me.

I mean, seriously, how much did it take to get one guy to believe one surprising thing?

I knocked on Nico's front door and waited patiently for Nico to open it. Mrs. O'Leary began barking at the door, and I glanced at Grover to find him furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Nico has a dog?" He glanced at me, and I shrugged.

"He does now."

"Did you see his dog yesterday?"

I nodded. "Yeah I did. I don't think she likes me. Apparently she treats me better than most people though. That's what Nico said."

"Oh," Grover simply replied. "What's the dog's name?"

"Mrs. O'Leary," I answered, waiting to see Grover's reaction. He tended to have pretty amusing reactions.

" _Mrs. O'Leary_ ," Grover pronounced slowly as if he heard incorrectly. "He named his dog  _Mrs. O'Leary._ "

I laughed lightly. "No, okay, look. From what Nico told me, when he got his dog from the shelter or whatever, the last owner wanted to keep the name on his dog. So, now Nico's dog is still called Mrs. O'Leary."

I knocked on the door to make sure he heard me, but I felt as if the barking from Mrs. O'Leary was enough.

"I'm coming!" I heard an irritated voice come from within the household. Yeah, that definitely sounded like Nico: Irritated and cranky.

"Why didn't you just call him?" Grover questioned me.

I blinked blankly. "I didn't even think of it. I just got to the door and the first thing I thought of was knocking."

"At least Mrs. O'Leary was there to bark in case he didn't hear you." Grover shrugged. "I'm hungry now." He sighed. "Cheese enchiladas sound  _so_ good right now."

"You should've just stayed home then instead of coming to see me." I chuckled.

"But I wanted to see if you were actually dating Nico or if you were kidding!" Grover cried.

I rolled my eyes. I opened my mouth to answer him, but the door opened before any kind of sentence could come from me.

The door finally opened to reveal the most beautiful angel that has ever existed. He wore dark gray sweats and a blank black T-shirt. His hair seemed to be messy in just the right places to make it appear natural instead of just some really messy bedhead and he just didn't feel like brushing his hair. His full, plump pink lips just  _asked_ to be kissed the more I looked at them.

He stared at Grover with a very perplexed expression as he leaned against the door frame. "Why don't you believe Percy?"

His eyes widened as he stared between the both of us. "Wait, wait,  _wait. Hold on._ You're telling me that my two best friends are  _actually_ dating now?! You guys aren't just playing some prank on me or anything?"

Nico and I shook our heads simultaneously, answering Grover's questions.

"Prove it to me," Grover demanded. "I just... I can't even  _imagine_ it." He paused shortly. "Actually, I can't imagine Nico dating  _anyone._ "

He rolled his eyes. "Percy, come closer."

I raised an eyebrow, but I trusted Nico enough to know that he wasn't going to do anything stupid. I stepped a bit closer to him, and he threw his arms around my neck and pulled himself against me. His lips touched mine gently, and I probably went to heaven at that moment.

I decided that the most proper way to react to his action was to grasp onto either side of his waist and return the kiss. I could feel him smile against my lips as he kissed me more passionately once my eyes fluttered shut. I could practically guess that Grover was staring at us in disgust as he watched his two best friends kiss each other. It was like some major plot twist in Grover's story or something. Surprise! Your two best friends are dating each other now!

After running out of breath, we reluctantly separated. Nico's plump lips were a bit bruised, but they still looked absolutely kissable. He was breathing heavily slightly from the lack of air, but he seemed just as ready as I was to go at it again.

That was when Grover awkwardly interrupted our eye sex when he cleared his throat.

"Wow, guys." Grover chuckled. "You really put on a nice show for me."

Nico and I blushed at Grover's comment. I gritted my teeth and decide to stare at the inside of Nico's house instead since his front door was still open. Nico buried his head deep into the crook of my neck, which I found absolutely adorable. God, his hair smelled absolutely amazing; it was like a beautiful mixture of vanilla and pomegranates. I was definitely using his shampoo if I ever stayed at his house.

Imaging staying at Nico's house with just me and him...

My face became a deeper shade of red as I heated up. It was like I could feel the blood rushing down toward my lower regions as every single fantasy I had of Nico replayed in my mind.

"Er, thanks, Grover," I awkwardly replied, clearing my throat and attempting to make the blush across my cheeks disappear-a failed attempt might I add.

Nico glanced up at me with his cute, wide eyes that resembled those of a little child. What I would do to him later would definitely  _not_  make him a little child.

Did I really just think that? Damn it, Percy!

"I, uh, forgot you were coming to get me. I was sleeping before you knocked on my door." He frowned at the thought of being unprepared and forgetful. "Sorry about that. I was pretending to sleep, thinking it was some guy asking door to door if someone could help and pay his college tuition or something. Then you knocked again and I remembered that you were coming to get me. Sorry, again."

I shook my head, a smile on my lips. "It's fine Nico. It's not a problem really. I could just wait for you to get ready and then we'd be on our way."

Nico glanced at Grover in the corner of his eyes. "What should I tell Grover about family?" He whispered to me.

"You could, uh, just not let him inside?"

"Wow Percy," Nico said a bit more loudly. "That is fucking rude."

I shrugged, chuckling. "Well, what other plan do you have?"

"I could lie again?" He offered, but I scowled at the idea.

"So you're going to just lie to Grover?" I asked with distaste in my mouth.

"I don't know!" Nico whispered frantically. "I... I'm not ready to tell him."

"What are you guys talking about?" Grover questioned from where he stood, a few feet away from us.

Nico and I glanced at each other nervously. Nico didn't want to be rude to his friend, but I didn't want to lie to him anyway. It was as if we were arguing with just our eyes alone. I think I won because Nico sighed exasperatedly.

"Come in, Grover." He nodded at Grover. "Percy, come with me to my room, okay? I want to talk to you."

I could faintly see Grover wiggling his eyebrows at me in the background, but I had a feeling that Nico wasn't bringing me into his room just so we could have sex. I mean, I hoped sex was part of the reason. The other reason could be whatever Nico wants to talk about with me because I could tell from his expression that it was pretty urgent.

"Yeah, sure," I answered before releasing my grip on Nico's waist and following him into the empty house.


	36. 35) Chapter Thirty-Five

Nico had left Grover downstairs and led me up into his room. My face heated up at the thought of what could've happened yesterday if Mrs. O'Leary wasn't there to stop us. I mean, can you believe this? The dog was thinking more clearly and logically than us!

Nico shut the door behind him after I entered. I took a seat on the edge of his bed, resisting urge to vehemently take in his scent from his bed. Nico was sleeping here just a few minutes ago. I could only imagine Nico's peaceful, angelic face when he sleeps...

I snapped out of my thoughts with a large blush across my face when Nico cleared his throat.

He stared at me with narrowed eyes and heaved an exasperated sigh. He went over to his closet to start picking out some clothes. "What are you thinking about with that testosterone-filled brain of yours?"

I gritted my teeth, burying my face into my hands and setting my elbows upon my thighs. "Nothing much," I mumbled more to myself. In the corner of my eyes, I could spot Nico pulling off his shirt to reveal his perfectly olive-skinned back.

I averted my gaze back toward the ground, but I admit I stole several glances at Nico while he was changing. When he was done, he whirled around to face me with an eyebrow raised, but he didn't press it any further.

"What should I do?" Nico sighed once more, turning his gaze toward the closed bedroom door.

I shrugged, placing the palm of my hands on the mattress and leaning back. "We've been best friends since we were little you know. I don't think you should just lie to him."

Nico leaned against the bedroom door, crossing his arms with a small huff. "How do you think he'd react? I haven't seen him for five years."

I frowned, trying to picture what Grover would do if Nico explained his family situation.

"I don't... know. Honestly, I can't picture Grover acting surprised other than having wide eyes and becoming speechless."

Nico's eyes looked at the door once more. "That's a better reaction than anything else."

"Really?"

He shrugged. "Yeah well, I just don't want any annoying questions or sympathy from him. I just want him to have the knowledge of it and then never bring it up again and pretend that my life was always like this."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess Grover's pretty good at that."

Nico twisted the doorknob to open the door and left before I could bring anything else up.

"Woah wait, Nico!" I called after him before springing up from his bed and rushing down the stairs to catch up with him. My footsteps echoed throughout the house as I raced down the elaborate wooden staircase and eventually reached the cool tile floor.

Nico's house was just like how I remembered it to be when I was here five years ago. There was a living room and a family room which both had grand fireplaces and expensive TVs. Leather couches with sets of pillows lined the backing of the couch where Mrs. O'Leary was cleaning her paws, and an ottoman was in the middle of the couched which formed a square with one side missing. Instead, there was a glass coffee table in front of the TV with a huge vase of flowers which were probably handpicked from the garden in the back.

His backyard was huge with the ground covered with neatly trimmed grass and a Jacuzzi to the left of the backyard that had stone steps leading up to it. The flowers bordered the backyard, and there was a tire swing hanging from a pomegranate tree. In the shade of the tree stood a green hammock that swayed back and forth from the wind. It seemed like a perfect place to sit back and watch the sky. I bet Nico actually did that sometimes-maybe I'll ask him later.

I found Nico and Grover in the family room by the front door. Nico looked as if he didn't know what words would be appropriate for what he was trying to say, but Grover didn't seem to have noticed. He looked too busy from being captivated by the midnight black ebony piano. I mean, I would've been too. The piano was so neatly polished that you could clearly see your reflection in it. Grover reached out a hand but pulled back as if his fingerprint might ruin the beautiful image the piano displayed.

"What are you doing, Grover?" I finally broke the silence between them. Both of their heads snapped up to look at me.

"Oh, you guys are finally down." He chuckled. "Sorry but this piano looks so cool. I don't remember it being here the last time I was here. I'm pretty sure I would remember something as cool as this being here."

Nico rolled his eyes. "That's because the last time you were here in this very house was five years ago."

Grover put his hands up in defense. "Jeez, Neeks, didn't have to be so technical with me."

"I'm just stating the facts," Nico retorted. "Five years is a long time. A bunch of other things in this house probably changed that you haven't noticed yet."

By the way Nico's voice suddenly faded out by the end of the sentence, I could already tell what he was thinking of. I glanced at Nico with sad eyes, and I hated myself for it because Nico hated sympathy. But, what else could I do other than comfort him? I felt so bad for him that I couldn't help but feel pity. I also kind of hoped that Nico wasn't reading my mind, or he would've kicked my ass for feeling sympathy. I would totally do other things to Nico's ass though on an unrelated note.

"Hey Grover," Nico began, "can I tell you something?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What is it? Does Percy know already?" Grover glanced at me for an answer, so I nodded.

"I live here alone," Nico choked out. "My mom and Bianca... They're gone now." He paused briefly and gulped. It must've been so painful for Nico to bring them up again after so many years of not telling anybody. I couldn't even begin to imagine how badly his heart must hurt. I just wanted to go over there and give him the most passionate kiss that I could offer in every single place that I could reach. My own chest throbbed from thinking about how much pain Nico was feeling.

Grover's eyes widened like I predicted, but what happened next was something that I could've never surmised.

He went over and embraced Nico with a soft smile on his lips. "I would say 'sorry' but it sounds kind of pathetic." Grover laughed lightly. "Must've been hard for you huh? Where's your dad then?"

Nico didn't return the hug; Grover and I both knew that he hated physical contact if it could be avoided, but he didn't push him away.

"He left," Nico said in a quiet voice. "He met someone else. He wanted to start a new life with a new woman. But he still provides me money to live off of until I start to work myself, so I guess its okay."

"Okay?!" Grover separated from Nico at an arm's length. "Isn't this huge house scary at night  _and_  you're all alone? I'd piss myself before I would even make it to the bathroom."

Nico laughed, and I smiled in relief. My shoulders relaxed, and I hadn't even known that they were tense. Grover definitely knew how to brighten up someone's day, and I was really glad that someone like Grover was around.

"I actually like it when it's dark." Nico's gorgeous laughter eventually faded, but he still had a stunning smile on his lips. "The dark calms me down."

"Well, we're going to watch so many scary movies later on that you'd piss yourself at night before you even leave your room!" Grover cried. "I mean, damn right this place is awesome! But it's always called the 'haunted  _mansion_ ' for a reason."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Grover." Nico chuckled at Grover's cowardice. He glanced at me with his soothing smile. "Are we going to go now?"

I blinked blankly at him before it finally clicked in my mind. "Oh, that's right! We have a date today."

"Maybe I should come along just to make sure you guys don't run from first base to home plate," Grover muttered with a knowing smirk across his face.

"For God's sake Grover!" Nico yelled, his face becoming a deep shade of red just like mine. "Let's go, Percy, before Grover says any more stupid things."

Grover laughed loudly. "It could happen! Percy is an unpredictable one! A wild one might I add."

Mrs. O'Leary growled at that as if thinking that her precious and pure innocent Nico dating a "wild" one like me was the worst possible thing that could've ever happened in her entire life. Jeez, what an overprotective dog.

"Alright, Grover you're leaving." Nico dragged Grover out of his house by the wrist. "Take care of the house, Mrs. O'Leary!"

Mrs. O'Leary barked back happily in response, and her wagging tail continuously hit the couch.

I exited the house through the already open front door from Nico and Grover, and Nico locked the doors. I offered to drive Grover home, but he denied it, saying that he didn't want to delay our date any further and that he would just call Juniper and ask her to pick him up.

I shrugged, but I guess it was okay. Nico and I bid Grover out goodbyes before getting into my car which was ocean blue of course. You can't expect anything less of Percy Jackson, can you?

"So," Nico started, "where to now?"

I hummed enthusiastically, starting up the car. "What about the movies?"

He shrugged, leaning back into the passenger seat. "Whatever is fine. As long as it's not a scary movie so I don't 'piss myself at night before I even leave my room,'" He quoted with a chuckle.

I smiled. "Okay then. I don't know the exact way though. My phone's dying and I left the GPS at home, but maybe I could manage?"

"Why don't you just stop by your house and get the GPS?" Nico suggested tiredly. "I don't want to risk getting lost. I have my phone if you want to use it."

"It seems like a waste of gas to drive all the way back to my house and get my GPS. And anyway, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I used my boyfriend's stuff?" I flashed him a big grin, but he only rolled his eyes.

"A very unprepared one."

"Neeks, don't be like that!" I chided him playfully. "Even if we get lost, at least we'll have an adventure right?"

Nico scoffed. "If we get lost I'm using the GPS on my phone. But since you don't want to use it now, you dumbfuck, then take us to wherever you can. But we'll waste less gas driving to your house to get the GPS instead of driving around forever because you got lost."

"Blah, blah, blah, enough of the logical stuff. Why don't you just loosen up and have fun every once in a while?"

"Because I don't want to get lost and become homeless."

"Oh come on! At least when you become homeless you'll have me."

"I'd rather be with anyone else but you as a homeless person."

I smirked and pecked a quick kiss on his cheek. "I know you love me."

He averted his gaze to the window with a light blush on his cheeks. "Just drive."

I chuckled before pulling out of the driveway and driving to who-knows-where.


	37. 36) Chapter Thirty-Six

Nico laughed, bringing a hand up to his face. "I can't believe you actually drove us here."

I couldn't help the ridiculous grin that broke across my face. "Maybe I should've used the GPS after all."

Nico glanced at me with an eyebrow raised, a smile still gracing his lips that I had the urge to kiss so badly. "Just maybe."

Remember how I said that Nico should get out more and have a bit more fun? Yeah well, it turned out that Nico was going to have an adventure at an orphanage.

I felt kind of bad and guilty at first because Nico  _literally_ was an orphan, but when we got here--by accident of course--he began to laugh at the stupid mistake I made. So, hopefully, Nico was fine.

I ended up making some random turn at the freeway and we ended up lost. I drove a bit more and we ended up here, in front of this large, dark red, mansion-looking building. A sign stood at the gate which said "The Orphanage of Hermes."

This was probably the most interesting first date that I have ever had.

"Are we going in or not?" Nico asked, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"Wait, we're going  _in?_ "

He furrowed his eyebrows together. "Weren't we having an adventure? You were going to take me to wherever we ended up, and we ended up here. So, why not?"

I blinked blankly at Nico for what seemed to feel like an eternity. Nico really was the best person that I have ever dated.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and unlocked the car doors. "Well then, looks like we're going in. Our excuse for being here is that we took a wrong turn on the freeway and we're lost and we have no idea where we are or what we're doing because our GPS died."

"That's... Actually what happened Percy." Nico chuckled. "I don't really know if it's an excuse if that actually happened. Except for the GPS part. You just refused to use a GPS but I'll agree on making you look less stubborn."

I laughed lightly. "Then let's go in."

* * *

We opened the front double doors of the building and walked in. There were wooden benched scattered against the walls, and wooden poles rose from the ground to keep the ceiling in place. Two sets of stairs led up to another floor ahead of us, and a single lamp stood in between the sets of stairs, making the place look quite dim. It even smelled like some old, run down place.

"This place looks kind of creepy if you ask me." Nico scowled at the walls surrounding us. "They should really keep a place harboring kids cleaner."

I shrugged, reaching over to grab Nico's left hand. "At least they have a place to stay, right?"

"I guess," Nico answered with a disapproving tone.

That was when a little girl wandered into the room from one of the staircases.

She had big, sea green eyes and long, dark brown hair that reminded me strangely of Nico's hair. I kind of wondered if her hair was as soft as Nico's. She had a thin, plain blue T-shirt and beige shorts. She didn't have any shoes, and she looked as confused as we were when we spotted her.

"Hello?" Her eyes were wide as she scanned us up and down.

"Uh, hey." I smiled as kindly as I could. "We're kind of lost, and we were wondering if there was anyone around here who could give us directions?"

The strange girl nodded. "I'll take you to our Mama. Maybe she'll know what to do for you guys." She turned on her heels and walked up the stairs without turning back to see if we were following.

"I guess we're going then," Nico said before tugging on my hand and pulling me along after the little girl.

* * *

"And what happened to your GPS?"

I could hear Nico's nonstop laughter from beside me. One of Nico's hands was in my own, but Nico's other hand clutched his stomach from the amount of laughter coming from him. His laughter was almost contagious-it really made me want to drop into the floor and laugh as well.

"It broke," I attempted to say without any laughter spilling, but I couldn't go the smile that crawled into my lips.

The older woman-I assumed she was the one in charge of the orphanage-stared at me suspiciously along with an expression of disbelief. I mean, I couldn't blame her; with two guys uncontrollably laughing over a broken GPS, it kind of made it seem like we threw it out the window by accident or something and didn't want to share the embarrassing event.

She soon chuckled, glancing between us. I noticed that her gaze eventually found out intertwined fingers, but to my surprise, she didn't make a comment.

"Okay then. Where did you want to go?"

Nico and I exchanged confused glances. Where  _did_ we want to go?

"Let's just go back home," Nico said with an amused smile. "I had enough adventuring for today. This place is good for me."

I nodded turning back to the lady. I gave her Nico's address because there was another place that I wanted to bring him to at night. She smiled and left the room soon after I finished, saying that she'll look up the directions to get back home on her computer. She planned on printing out the instructions and giving it to us.

Now, that just left Nico and me in a room full of abandoned children-those poor kids.

The girl that took us here tugged on Nico's arm, trying to gain his attention. "Play with me!"

"Play... With you?" Nico furrowed his eyebrows at her as if she were speaking in a different language.

She nodded enthusiastically. "My name's Zoë! When I grow up, I'm going to be an archer! I'm pretty good already."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why don't you show us?"

I couldn't help but feel the-manly-fluttering of my heart when he mentioned  _us_ and not just  _him._

She smirked. "Okay. Come over here."

Zoë dragged Nico lightly by the wrist, and since he was still holding onto my hand, I involuntarily came along as well. But it was okay; I would've followed them anyway since I had nowhere else to go in this huge building.

We eventually stopped in front of a dark blue door with stars on it. The name "Zoë Nightshade" was across the doorway, and at each joint, there was a dot like a constellation in the night sky. I mean, the stars and the dark painted door had to be for  _something_ right?

"Here we are!" Zoë announced, pushing open the door resulting in a slight creaking sound. "I bet neither of you can beat me at darts."

"Really?" Nico smirked. "Now I'm excited to see how good you are."

I chuckled in amusement. "Bring it on, Zoë."


	38. 37) Chapter Thirty-Seven

Well damn.

Zoë Nightshade was  _definitely_ going to become Archer Queen or  _something._

She beat both Nico and me at darts around maybe twenty hundred times. She even pulled out a Nerf bow and shot down a leaf that she pointed out to us in a nearby tree outside the building.

Zoë-was-crazy.

I couldn't even handle her wicked skills when it came to aiming. She was probably blessed by the archer gods or something.  _No one_ could've been  _that_ good at aiming. The wind was even blowing the leaf that Zoë planned on shooting! And she still hit the leaf right in the very center!

This, ladies and gentlemen, was what I called life hacks.

Nico and I had given up on trying to beat Zoë Nightshade. Her dreams of becoming a skilled archer were definitely going to be fulfilled. If she has any doubts about not being able to have her dream happen, I would just tell her to challenge me again and she'll be able to witness see how talented she really was.

We were now just waiting for the lady from before to come back and give us instructions to go back home. Nico and Zoë were sitting on her bed while I leaned against the wall on the ground.

I watched Nico braid Zoë's dark brown hair into a single braid. The way Nico's nimble fingers lightly grasped each group of hair to join it with another group of twist it over another part of her hair so expertly intrigued me somehow.

I smiled at how similar their hair was. They both had dark brown hair that looked like the softest thing on the entire planet. Watching Nico braid Zoë's hair reminded me of the times back in elementary school where Bianca would plead Nico to braid her hair because she couldn't see the back of her head and braid at the same time. It was then that Nico became a master at braiding hair. Bianca had always wanted two different types of braids, and now Nico could do almost every kind.

I really missed Bianca di Angelo. I couldn't even believe that she was gone. I hadn't even given her a proper goodbye. I could've even remember our last conversation.

"Percy?"

I snapped out my thoughts and glanced at Nico. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Nico furrowed his eyebrows. I hadn't even noticed that he finished with Zoë's hair. He even added a silver circlet that kind of reminded me of a princess's tiara.

"Yeah I'm fine," I replied, blinking momentarily. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "You look kind of sad to me is all."

Good gods, was I that easy to read?

I smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine, don't worry." I got up from the carpet-covered floor and went over to admire Zoë's dark hair. Nico stared up at me suspiciously; he was clearly not convinced by my words.

I tried to ignore Nico's stare as best as I could, keeping my eyes on Zoë's hair braid instead.

"It's nice," I decided to say to break the unsettling silence between us. "You're still good at braiding." I chuckled.

Nico shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess. I haven't braided anyone's hair in awhile, so it's probably not the best thing that I've done."

"You make it sound like you're a hairdresser or something." I smirked down at him. I finally took a seat on the bed adjacent to Nico, and the bed dipped under my weight slightly.

"Are you suggesting that I should become one?" Nico returned the smirk, raising an eyebrow.

" _Maybe_ ," I drawled, my smirk still intact.

"Is it really that good?" Zoë spoke up, turning around and sitting Indian style on the mattress.

I nodded, my smirk morphing into a kind smile. "Nico's really good at this kind of stuff."

Nico shrugged. "I guess? It's up to the person's opinion though."

I nudged him in the side with my elbow. "Stop being so modest Nico."

"I'm not being modest I'm just saying."

"You're  _definitely_  being modest."

"It's not modesty it's honesty."

"What? Sorry, all I heard you saying was that it's not modesty, it's modesty."

"Percy, that doesn't even make sense I said honest-"

Nico was interrupted by a gasp coming from Zoë's direction. We both turned out gazes to her only to find her staring as best as she could at her braid in a nearby mirror hanging off the wall.

"It's... It's beautiful," Zoë whispered.

"Sorry? What did you say?" I asked jokingly, cupping a hand to my ear. " don't think Nico heard you."

Nico kicked me in the side, almost causing me to fall off the bed and flat on my face. My poor nose...

"I heard you loud and clear, Zoë. You don't have to say it again," Nico informed her with a glare shot in my direction.

"No, no, no," I chided. "I don't think Nico heard you. I think he's lying." I gave him a smirk in return for his gorgeous glare.

Zoë whirled around, confusion etched into her features. "So what is it? Did Nico hear me or what?"

"No," I replied the same time Nico responded with a "yes."

Zoë raised an eyebrow at us as Nico rolled his eyes.

"Just ignore him Zoë," Nico said tiredly, running a hand down his face.

"Just ignore him Zoë," I repeated with a chuckle.

Nico sighed heavily, indicating that he was a hundred percent done with my shit.

Just as Nico opened his mouth to say whatever he was going to say, Zoë's bedroom door was swung open revealing the lady that offered to find instructions for us.

She smiled at us as a greeting and handed us a piece of paper. "Hopefully these are the directions that you wanted?" She chuckled. "I wonder if I typed in your address correctly."

I grinned. "Nah, this is fine." I stood up from the bed just as Nico was doing the same thing. I glanced at Zoë's sea green eyes and smiled. "See you, Zoë."

"Bye Zoë," Nico said with a small smile. "I hope you liked the braid."

She grinned and adjusted the silver circlet upon her head. "Like it? It's even better than that."

"Told you," I muttered quietly to Nico as I felt him jab me in the stomach.

"Shut up," Nico murmured back with another roll of his eyes. He turned to the lady and offered her a grateful smile. "Thank you, ma'am."

She waved her hand offhandedly. "No need for the formalities. I hope to see you guys soon. Zoë seems to have taken a liking to you too." The lady handed Nico a business card which included the address of this place.

Nico nodded. "Thanks." He shoved it into his back pocket, and I reached for his hand.

"We best be going then," I said, tugging on Nico's hand as I lead him to the door.

"Bye Percy! Bye Nico!" Zoë grinned and waved her hand. The woman chuckled, nodding at us.

Nico and I exited the room and walked down the staircase leading to the entrance. How I managed to not get lost, I had no idea.

We slid into the car seats, closing the side doors afterward. I inserted the key and began starting the car. I turned to Nico who was gazing out the window at the orphanage.

"I'm going to miss this place," I said, placing my hands on the steering wheel.

Nico smiled. "Me too. Zoë has the same eyes as you, you know."

I scoffed, my gaze eventually finding the windshield. "Not really. They may have been sea green like mine, but they weren't the same."

Nico rolled his eyes, leaning against the window and wrapping his arms around himself. "Yeah, they were. I stare at your eyes enough to know by now."

I raised an eyebrow in amusement, a smile plastered across my face. "What was that Neeks?"

I turned to look at his face, and sure enough, that adorable blush of his was there. He was blushing quite profusely even though he was trying to hide it behind his long bangs. God, he was so fucking cute.

Wow, was it getting hot in this car or was it just me?

I rolled down the window and cleared my throat, shifting in my seat uncomfortably because of you-know-what.

"Nothing," Nico finally answered quietly.

I chuckled, trying to pretend that the bulge in my pants  _wasn't_ getting larger. "Whatever you say Neeks."

I leaned over and kissed him on his temple before beginning to follow the directions back home.


	39. 38) Chapter Thirty-Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smells like lemon in this chapter, doesn't it?

"Please tell me we're using a GPS this time."

I laughed at Nico's statement. I had just told him that I was taking him to another place later today. I had planned to take him to Half-Blood Hill where I had first realized my feelings toward him, and I actually planned to tell him that there.

I smiled in amusement at Nico, who was currently hanging upside down on his couch. After coming back from the orphanage, I was going to drop Nico off at his house and then go to mine, but where was the fun in that if I could've just stayed here with him?

"But Nico," I began to say, "A GPS isn't needed this time."

"Are you just saying that so we can have another 'adventure'?" Nico made air quotes with his fingers when he said the final word.

I laughed once more. " _Maybe_ ," I drawled playfully.

"Maybe?" Nico questioned incredulously.

I shrugged. "We're going to Half-Blood Hill tonight if that's what you're wondering."

I heard a long sigh of relief. "Thank the gods I thought we were going on some stupid adventure."

"It was not stupid!" I feigned offense.

Nico chuckled. "Sure it wasn't," he remarked sarcastically. He spun around so that he was now lying on the couch. "Does Half-Blood Hill look nicer at night or something?"

I nodded. "The stars are brighter and more... See-able?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I'm pretty sure that's not a word."

" _See-able_ ," Nico repeated flatly as if he were un-amused and absolutely done with my shit. He probably was now that I think of it.

"See-able?" Nico questioned with a tone of puzzlement as if asking me if he heard what I said right. "Did you really just say  _see-able?_ "

I shrugged with a light laugh. " _Maybe_ ," I repeated once more, attempting to not laugh at Nico's incredulous and exasperated expression.

God, he was just so cute. I couldn't even believe that he was all mine.

Nico rolled his eyes, completely oblivious to the fact that I was just staring at him like a love-sick seal. Hey, seals are cooler than puppies.

"You're so stupid," Nico mumbled, running a lazy hand through his hair.

I stood up from my seat on another nearby couch and sat closer to Nico. "But you like my stupidity."

Nico shrugged. "Maybe."

"I know it's not just a 'maybe' Nico." I leaned closer toward Nico, who was lying comfortably on the couch we were both now on.

"What if it is?" Nico propped himself up on his elbows, leaning closer as if challenging me.

"But I know it's not."

Our noses were now brushing against each others'. Nico's breathing started to become heavier as his gaze flickered toward my lips. He didn't seem to be planning on making the first move, so I did it for him.

I closed the small gap in between us, savoring the ecstatic feeling of his lips timidly pressed against mine. It was a shy kiss in which neither of us pushed forward. Neither of us went any further.

But that was when I couldn't take it any longer. My hand eventually found the nape of his neck, pushing him closer against me. A soft moan spilled from Nico's heavenly lips as I ran my tongue sensually along his bottom lip. I slowly crawled onto the couch and between his legs, grasping Nico's inner thigh with my free hand and spreading his legs apart. Nico shuddered underneath me, opening his mouth to allow me entrance.

My tongue immediately darted in, eager to get some of the enticing taste from Nico. I stroked his thigh, emitting more shudders from the boy underneath me as my tongue slid against his. That taste of pomegranates and vanilla enveloped my whole being. It was so addicting that I couldn't stop even if I wanted to.

Nico wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling me down and closer toward him, intertwining our tongues even more than before. I groaned and made the space between Nico's legs wider. I removed my hand from the nape of Nico's neck, making its way down his arm and eventually to his other thigh.

Nico tugged on my hair and I pulled away as he gasped for breath. I was breathing heavily as well, but a smirk graced my features instead. I knew my face was probably completely red, but it wasn't like I cared. Nico's face was red as well, but he always managed to look adorable while being flustered. It was just his thing I guess.

I stared longingly into Nico's dark eyes as my heart sped up in my chest. I wanted to do so much more with Nico.  _So much more._ I wanted to express my feelings for him and get all of my emotions across for him.

I wanted him to know how much I truly loved him. I mean, I know that was a strong word and that Nico and I had only been reunited maybe a week ago or so after five years, but I couldn't even begin to describe the ecstasy and happiness that always overflowed my heart whenever I was with him. The joy of looking into his eyes and knowing that he liked me too and that he would be there for me whenever I needed him most always brought reassurance and love to me.

I just hoped he felt that strongly about me too. But, Nico was the logical one here; he already knew that falling in love with me after barely starting a relationship was completely ridiculous. I still somehow felt the need to tell him how I really felt though.

Nico wrapped his legs around my waist, sending pleasurable jolts of electricity across my body. God, he just felt  _so good_ when he was around me like this. I couldn't even contain my desires anymore. He thrust his hips against mine, causing the both of us to moan at the friction.

My tongue rushed into Nico's mouth when his lips parted to release that godly moan. His fingers tangled itself in my hair, tugging on it and resulting in groans to erupt from my throat. I ground my lower regions slowly against Nico, and he gasped at the unfamiliar, but pleasurable, feeling. Nico's nimble hands ran through my hair as he breathing became heavier and his moans began to reach a higher tone when he ground against me as well.

I grasped his cheeks with both of my hands as my tongue massaged against his. I couldn't get enough of his sweet taste; Nico seemed to not have enough of mine either.

"Percy," Nico gasped softly as one of my hands found its way to the hem of his shirt. I pulled it up and over his head, doing the same to mine and throwing both of the unnecessary articles of clothing somewhere on the ground.

Nico moaning my name seemed to have sent my senses haywire. I pressed my bare chest against his, emitting delicious, breathless moans from the both of us. I detached my lips from his and licked down his jawline and to his collarbone. I bit lightly at the sensitive skin there, dragging my teeth softly across the area and sucking gently. Nico's breathing was beginning to quicken in its pace. I could feel his stomach rapidly move up and down the more I sucked and bit there. He pulled on my hair, making me groan and kiss him softly on the lips.

Nico whimpered and slid a hand down to my cheek. "Percy," he whined desperately as he realized that I had stopped grinding into him.

I felt like teasing him at the moment, but I wanted more of Nico too. I ground hard and fast into him, and Nico's legs tightened around my waist as he returned the fast thrusts.

"Fuck, Nico, oh God," I moaned breathlessly against his lips, grinding my hips against Nico's crotch as hard and fast as I could.

Our lips were moving messily over each others' lips due to our rapid movements, and the couch slightly rocked beneath us.

I couldn't take it anymore. That warm feeling in the pit of my stomach began to intensify the harder I pushed against Nico's crotch. God, just the thought of grinding against Nico's manhood made me so hard.

I fumbled with the button on Nico's jeans, pulling the zipper down and shoving my hand into his jeans.

Nico's pants turned into loud moans as I stroked his manhood through his boxers. It quivered and jumped at each sensitive motion I made against it. I dragged a finger along it, causing it to pulse in pleasure. Nico began to tug on my hair even more incessantly, and moan after moan flowed out of those heavenly lips of his.

I grasped his manhood in my hands, making it and Nico shudder. I stroked the base through the thin fabric as I buried my face into the crook of his neck. Nico's legs had been long gone from my waist; instead, his heels were digging deeply into the couch.

I swiped my thumb along the head of his penis repeatedly and agonizingly slow, and it was then that caused Nico's legs to shake violently, his grip on my hair tightening.

"Oh, oh fuck, Percy!" He moaned loudly. "Stop-teasing me," Nico grunted in between his long string of moans. I smirked, and just as my fingertips had slipped under the waistband, I heard a bark. Multiple barks actually.

My hand has never moved faster in its entire life. My eyes widened at the noise as I backed away from Nico as fast as lightning. Nico's eyes were also wide in surprise as well as he sat up into an upright position in alarm.

We both turned slowly turned toward the direction of the sound. Mrs. O'Leary stood there in all of her cock-blocking glory like some kind of pissed-off mother just witnessing her son almost experience sex. She barked at us-well, specifically me—before she trotted over to the couch, propping herself down on the floor right next to Nico.

Nico ran a hand through his hair. "Oh my God I can't believe we just did that." His breathing was still heavy, and his voice--oh God his voice--was so deep, husky, and sexy. Shit, if I could fuck his voice I would.

Yeah, as you could not obviously tell, I was still a bit too turned on after that whole ordeal.

Nico patted Mrs. O'Leary lightly. "Good girl." He chuckled. "I've taught you well."

"What a cock-block," I muttered, glaring at the dog who already seemed to be glaring straight at me even though it was clearly proved that  _I_ was not straight.

Nico laughed. "I don't get why she still likes you better than most people."

I laughed lightly with him, nearing closer to him and wrapping my arms around his waist. I rested my chin on his shoulder. "What can I say? I'm just a loveable guy."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Whatever Percy."

I hummed, closing my eyes and reminiscing in the present moment at the moment that we had just shared. A peaceful and comfortable silence settled between us as Mrs. O'Leary stood guard for Nico as he ran his hand lazily down her fur.

"So," Nico broke the silence. "Did you want to play Black Ops with me?"

My eyes flickered open. "Black Ops 2?"

He hummed approvingly. "On the PS3 if that's fine with you."

"Damn right its fine just like you," I commented, resulting in a slap on my arm.

"You and your stupid comments," Nico grumbled under his breath, standing up and making Mrs. O'Leary's ears to perk up. I could only laugh at Nico's statement.

"Come on." He grabbed my shirt and tossed it over his shoulder at me. I pulled it over my head just as Nico did the same with his shirt. He grasped my wrist and dragged me upstairs. Mrs. O'Leary barked once before trailing beside Nico.

"Jeez, we're not going to be doing anything that is frowned upon upstairs Mrs. O'Leary!" I cried as Nico laughed.

"Frowned upon," Nico repeated with an amused grin. "I never thought I'd be hearing you ever say that in my entire life."

I shrugged. "What can I say? I guess I'm also a pretty unpredictable guy."

Nico rolled his eyes once more as we reached the top of the staircase. I intertwined his fingers with mine when Nico pushed open the door, revealing his midnight black room. I took a seat on the edge of the bed as Mrs. O'Leary jumped into the bed and rested her head on my lap. Aw, she looked so cute when she wasn't growling and glaring me for dating her owner.

Nico tossed me a remote when the TV screen turned on, displaying the PS3 home screen.

"Want to see who could win first in Gun Game?" Nico proposed, clicking on the game to make it start running.

I smirked, pressing the PS button to turn on the remote. "Oh, you are  _so_ on."

Nico laughed as the game directed us toward the Multiplayer screen. We joined one of the Gun Game matches which was apparently just about to start.

**Match Begins in**

**5**

**4**

**3**

**2**

**1**

**First player to get a kill with every weapon wins.**


	40. Chapter 40

"I win!" I yelled into the night air, throwing up my arms triumphantly.

Nico rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his knees and panting. "Okay, that was no fair. You announced the race and started running before I could even react."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You're just jealous."

"And you're just immature," Nico shot back with a smirk.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are, Percy."

"No, I am not!"

"Yes, you are, Percy!"

"Am not!"

"Is too!"

"Nope."

"Stop denying it, Percy."

I crossed my arms and pouted like a little child. "You're just jealous."

Nico cracked a small, amused smile. "You've said this already."

I raised an eyebrow. "Have I?"

"Yes, you have."

A short silence settled between us before laughter soon filled the air. It was heartwarming to hear Nico's laugh and to know that he was happy. Knowing that my stupidity caused it caused a tingling feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Nico grinned. "You are officially an idiot."

"I am  _still_ officially your idiot," I remarked proudly. I flopped down onto the grass and patted the spot next to me. "Sit with me."

He rolled his eyes for probably the millionth time. He sat down on the grass next to me as I tucked my arms behind my head and laid back. The stars seemed to glow more brightly and magnificently tonight as if they all knew what important person was with me.

The stars in New York were never truly visible due to the excess amount of pollution in the air from the city. But out here in the open on top of a hill really brought out the true colors of the stars up above.

Nico ended up lying down on the grass as well to view the stars at a better angle so he wouldn't have to cramp up his neck or anything. I took Nico's hand in mine and squeezed it. I remembered when his hands were always in his pockets.

I had never known back then that there was an actual reason for it.

The funny part was that I learned that said reason in the exact same place that I was in right now: Half-Blood Hill.

A comfortable silence enveloped us as we watched the stars do nothing but twinkle in the sky. Why was star-gazing so amusing if the stars didn't even do all that much? I couldn't answer that question at all, yet here I was, watching the twinkling orbs of fire.

Watching the dark, night sky stand out with the blazing stars brought some sort of calmness and relaxation in me. It was as if my already-relaxed shoulders became even more relaxed, and all of the worries of the world were wiped away. It took my mind off of complicated things that I hated thinking about. It seemed as if the stars in the night sky were so bright and blinding that they completely obliterated every kind of stress in my body.

Just watching the stars float aimlessly in the sky and the barely visible clouds high above our heads made me feel light and free as if I were flying with them even though I had such horrible luck whenever it came to heights.

My stomach churned and my heart began to pound in my chest once I finally realized why I had brought Nico here in the first place. I opened my mouth to say something that I felt like I would regret, but fortunately, Nico started a new topic.

"You know, us laying here really seems like some kind of cliché book ending to some romance novel or something," Nico stated suddenly out of the blue.

I laughed. It felt nice to laugh in the silent air where it seemed as if the only people that mattered in this world were Nico and me.

"But cliché romance novels always get good endings, right?" I pointed out, turning my head to look at him.

Nico glanced at me, squeezing my hand gently in his. "That is true." He sighed somewhat longingly, but it sounded like he was trying to hide it. "I wonder what kind of ending I'm going to get."

I smiled genuinely at him. "You mean what ending  _we're_ going to get." I brought his hand up to my lips and kissed it softly. "I'm sure we'll get a happy ending together."

Nico chuckled. "Of course Percy," he said, but it angered me because he sounded so sarcastic about it.

I sighed lightly. "I know you probably hate promises, but hear me out," I started.

Nico raised an eyebrow at my sudden serious change of demeanor, but he nodded to show that he was listening.

I took both of his hands into mine, making Nico and I turn onto our sides. "I'm not going to promise because I know you're going to hate me for it. So, let me put it this way." My heart was hammering in my chest for what I had planned to throw out into the serene and peaceful night air.

"I'm going to try everything in my power to keep our relationship together. And I mean  _everything_."

Nico smiled at this, making me feel a bit more confident in what I had to say.

"If you're going to a different college, then I'm going with you. Long-distance relationships seem too confusing for me, and I doubt you'd like them either. If you're going to move somewhere else, then I'm moving in with you. If you say there something wrong with us together, then I'll do everything in my power to fix it. You, Nico di Angelo, you're like  _everything_ to me." I stared deeply into his chocolate brown eyes, hoping that I could share all of the feelings and emotions that I felt for him. "I can't afford to lose you. I never want to see the day where we end up apart from each other. Do you remember when Aphrodite said that she saw some red between us?"

Nico nodded slowly. He probably couldn't tell where I was going with that question.

"Call me stupid or an idiot like you usually do," I chuckled, "but I'd like to think of the red in between us as the red string of Fate. I'm just kind of hoping no one cuts the string. Okay, scratch that. I'm  _really_ hoping no one tears it apart. I'm going to put in everything that I've got into protecting that string, but strings are so fragile; you could practically rip it with your pointer finger and thumb."

Nico's smile widened.

"So, believe me when I'm saying all of this Nico. I just... I don't know where I'd be without you."

He shrugged. "You would probably be at home or something."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't ruin the moment Nico."

He grinned and laughed lightly, showing off his beautiful crystalline teeth. "Sorry, sorry."

I mirrored his grin, leaning in and pressing my lips against his soft ones passionately. Nico immediately responded as I tightened my hold on his hands.

When we parted about a minute after, I couldn't wipe off the smile on my lips. "I really, really love you, Nico," I whispered against his lips before I could take it back.

Nico's eyes widened, and there was a silence for a moment. I was actually getting kind of freaked out, but the worries were soon wiped once I heard Nico chuckle.

"Do you really mean those words, Percy?"

I nodded. "I really do mean them, Nico. With all of my heart. I don't regret telling you at all."

Nico smiled so genuinely that I felt my heart's rate quicken in my chest.

He pecked me on the lips quickly before saying the words that I had longed to hear for so long.

"Good. Because... I really, really love you too Percy."

Our lips met once again in a more passionate and fiery kiss, and I didn't think I could ever feel more ecstatic and happy in my entire life.

_**The End** _


	41. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Yes, there is definitely smut in this chapter. So, this epilogue is going to be pretty long considering that the chapter was already long without the smut.

Grover just took a shower.

From Nico's spit take.

"What?!" Nico and I practically yelled into their ears.

Grover, on the other hand, seemed absolutely disgusted. But it wasn't the news that had been brought to us; it was Nico's spit all over him.

"Nico, gross." Grover laughed, getting a nearby napkin and cleaning himself off as best as he could

Nico smiled sheepishly, placing the water bottle back into the table. "Sorry."

Piper chuckled across from us. "Sorry we hid it from you guys." She glanced at Annabeth quickly. "We were just kind of scared and new to the idea I guess?"

Annabeth shrugged. "We've been dating for like a year now, just like you and Nico."

Cue the choking.

I patted Nico on the back while he reached for his water bottle. Grover stood up from his chair and backed away-probably in fear of spit being aimed toward him.

Then the realization dawned on me like the sun being uncovered by a cloud.

"A year?!" I cried in astonishment. "You hid this from us for a year?"

Nico cleared his throat. "I feel like we're all turning into gays now."

"Blame yourself, Nico." Annabeth chuckled. "I have a feeling that none of this would've happened if you hadn't come along."

He shrugged. "I was always here; no one knew I was here though."

"I feel so left out of the homosexual party guys," Grover tried to sound sad, but the smile that broke across his face ruined it. Annabeth could only roll her eyes in response, but she smiled nonetheless.

"You know what they say: The H in homosexual stands for 'happy.'"

Leo jumped into the conversation and sat next to Piper while Jason took a seat adjacent to me.

"Leo," Annabeth began with an irritated expression across her features. She closed her eyes and sighed, before reopening them. "The H in  _heterosexual_ could also mean 'happy.'"

Leo waved his head dismissively. "Then... The G in  _gay_  means 'good,' but the S in  _straight_ means 'sad.'"

"You  _do_ realize that  _gay_ means 'happy' right?" Jason remarked.

"Well yeah, but then the straights don't get some cool thing to stand for," Leo pointed out proudly.

Piper laughed. "Why are you guys even having that conversation?" She asked with a grin.

"Because Jason and I are good," Leo simply stated.

A wave of confusion hit all of us. I furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to think what the actual fuck Leo was just saying.

Annabeth suddenly jumped in her chair, and I think Nico needed to get some time alone to rethink his whole entire life or something. He kept choking, and he wasn't even eating anymore.

I was still as perplexed as ever along with everyone else at the table as Annabeth and Nico continued to slowly die.

This is what you get for being smart.

Leo was grinning from ear to ear, and Jason was laughing his ass off. I decided to attend to choking Nico first as Piper took care of Annabeth who had her face buried in her hands.

"What happened?" I whispered to Nico.

He cleared his throat and took deep breaths before answering, "Do you remember when Leo said that  _gay_ stands for  _good?_ "

I nodded slowly. When Nico opened his mouth to explain further, I held up a finger. It felt as if my mind was slowly piecing the pieces together, but I didn't know what pieces they were.

_Gay_ stands for  _Good._

_"Because Jason and I are good."_

My eyes widened at the sudden realization.

"What?!" I yelled out into the air for a second time. Jason had just finished is laughing fit, but it seemed like it started once he got a reaction out of me. Leo was grinning from ear to ear, but everyone else around us at the table was confused. And when I meant  _everyone,_ I meant Grover. Piper seemed to have already gotten the message from her frozen, shocked expression.

I leaned toward Nico. "Please tell me I'm being stupid and my thoughts are telling me false things."

Nico shrugged. "If I were to make an analogy to this, then it would be our relationship to their relationship."

I still couldn't believe what I was hearing. "So I'm not going crazy? Jason and Leo are gay for each other?"

Nico nodded. "You have heard correctly."

I slowly turned my head toward Jason and Leo. "You're kidding?"

"Want me to prove it to you?" Jason challenged with an amused eyebrow raised.

"Please do," Grover answered flatly, running a hand down his face.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and leaned toward Grover's ear, whispering into it during the process. Grover's eyes slowly widened the more Annabeth said and the more the new information started to process in his mind.

"Excuse me?!" Grover cried exasperatedly once Annabeth moved away.

"And I thought I was slow," Leo chuckled, shaking his head.

"You only know what's happening because you were the one that said it in the first place!" Grover retorted.

Annabeth nodded. "For the first time in years and probably the last time in my entire life, I'm agreeing with Grover on this." She smiled with amusement twinkling in her vibrant, gray eyes.

Leo pouted. "Just make me sound dumb guys."

Jason shrugged. "Well, since you all know." He got up from his seat and went over to Leo, draping his arms over Leo's shoulders and pecking his temple.

"So what?" I asked. "Have we all finally found the exit of the closet?"

"I didn't even know I was in a closet," Annabeth murmured. "When I found out, I was shocked, to say the least."

Piper nodded. "Me too."

"Same here." Leo smirked.

"Same with me." Jason chuckled.

Nico shrugged nonchalantly. "I was already aware of the closet I was in before all of you guys came around."

"And then you dragged all of us into the closet." I nudged Nico's side with my elbow playfully.

Nico rolled his eyes, leaning his cheek against the palm of his hand. "Not my problem."

Annabeth laughed lightly. "I wonder how far out previous relationships could've lasted if Nico had never been here."

Jason frowned. "Me too."

"I wasn't even  _in_ a relationship!" Leo laughed.

"I  _really_ feel left out guys," Grover stated sadly, but I could tell very easily that he was trying not to laugh. "I need to get some straight friends."

"No!" Leo blurted out quickly, making us all furrow our eyebrows in confusion.

"Why?" Grover raised an eyebrow, grinning in amusement. "I was only joking."

Leo breathed a sigh of relief. "Woah Grover. You almost got me there. For a second I thought you were going to become friends with the sad people."

I opened my mouth to ask for a clarification of his statement, but Nico held up a finger. "Leo said before that the S in  _straight_ stands for  _sad._ "

"Okay, can you not talk in this code of yours, Leo?" Piper groaned.

"Would you like me to use Morse Code, Miss?" Leo smirked mischievously, tapping his knuckles against the table multiple times. I couldn't even tell what he was trying to do.

"You know Morse Code?" Annabeth's eyebrows were arched, and I could obviously tell that she was quite impressed.

Leo nodded, retracting his hands from the table. "Cool, huh?" Then all of a sudden, Leo grimaced. "Damn it! I can't say that I attract the ladies anymore!"

Annabeth chuckled. "You  _could_ say that you attract Jason."

Jason rolled his eyes, but a smile graced his features. Haha, get it?  _Graced_ his features? And  _Grace_  is his last time?

Oh my gods just ignore me I feel like I've already made this horrible joke before.

"Please don't Leo." Jason smiled. "Morse Code doesn't attract me."

Leo wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh you know it does, Jason."

" _And_ I'm leaving." Nico attempted to stand up from the table, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.

"You  _do_ realize that you're the one that dragged us into the closet in the first place, right?" I grinned at him, making him roll his eye for another time.

"I am not to take the blame," Nico stated. "I only wanted you in the closet with me."

"Nico just wanted his private time with Percy in the closet is all." Leo smirked widely, and I think Nico threw up a little inside his mouth from the disgusted look he wore across his face.

"Oh come on!" Grover wailed. "Do  _not_ think that you have gotten that far with Percy, Nico."

Nico raised both his eyebrows. "What?"

"I  _totally_ bet that Percy had gotten to second or third base with you by now." Grover crossed his arms defiantly.

"Yeah, okay, I am definitely leaving." Nico stood up once more, but I placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down into the seat next to me.

Piper laughed. "How far have you guys even gotten?" She rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she stared at us curiously, waiting for an answer.

Nico and I exchanged glances.

"Should we tell them?" I voiced both of our thoughts.

"Wait, hold on." Leo shoved his hand into his pockets before unveiling what seemed to be a wallet. He pulled out a ten dollar bill and slammed it on the table. "I bet Alexander Hamilton's head that they got up to third base."

"No way!" Grover slapped a twenty dollar bill onto the table. "I bet Andrew Jackson's head that Percy hit a home run."

"Can you  _not_ bet using the head of someone with the same last name of mine?" I raised both of my hands in front of me with my eyebrows arched. "Especially if we're talking about whether I hit a home run or not."

Annabeth chuckled, whipping out another dollar bill. "I'm  _very_ certain Nico wouldn't allow Percy to hit a home run. Nico's smarter than that." She added a twenty dollar bill onto Leo's ten dollars.

"Are you guys seriously betting on us?" Nico asked exasperatedly, watching as Piper and Jason fished out their wallets.

"Hormones can be very demanding," Piper retorted, adding a ten dollar bill to Grover's. "Especially when they're guys. Guys tend to go overboard with things involving sex."

Jason grinned, adding twenty dollars to Annabeth and Leo's pile. "I'm going with Leo and Annabeth on this one just because Annabeth is smarter than all of you and Leo's my boyfriend."

"Should we have a bet to see whether Annabeth is smarter than Nico?" Leo suddenly said with a smirk across his face.

"No!" Nico and Annabeth both cried aloud. They glanced at each other and laughed, and it was probably the first time they've ever gotten along. Just seeing them laugh together was the weirdest thing I would ever see in my entire life.

"Okay!" Grover exclaimed, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "How far did you guys get?"

Nico scrutinized them all with a very worried expression on his face. "Do you all  _really_ want to be betting on this?"

"Andrew Jackson over there" -Leo pointed toward the twenty dollar bill on Grover's side of the table- "seems  _very_ eager to be in my pockets."

Grover rolled his eyes. "He'll be very happy once Alexander Hamilton joins him inside of  _my_ wallet."

Annabeth chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm actually quite impressed that you know they're full name and not just their surname that's printed on the dollar bill."

Leo shrugged. "When I heard  _presidents' names_ and  _money,_ I ended up listening and now I remember them all."

Annabeth raised an amused eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Leo nodded confidently with a smirk plastered across his face. "Hell yeah, I do. Ask me all of them."

"Who's on the one dollar bill?"

"George Washington."

"Two dollar bill?"

"Thomas Jefferson."

"Five dollar bill?"

"Abraham Lincoln."

"Ten dollar bill?"

"Alexander Hamilton."

"Twenty dollar bill?"

"Andrew Jackson."

Annabeth hummed. "Interesting. Fifty dollar bill?"

"Ulysses Grant."

"Hundred dollar bill?"

"Benjamin Franklin."

"Do you know who  _any_ of these people are?"

"Nope."

Annabeth rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. "You don't know  _any_ of these people that you named?"

"Not even close," Leo replied with a smug expression. "Is George Washington the guy that named the state of Washington?"

Annabeth shut her eyes, exhaling deeply. "It was named  _after_ George Washington if that's what you meant."

Leo laughed. "Yeah totally."

Jason rolled his eyes and glanced at us. " _Anyway,_ how far did you guys get?"

"Don't even  _try_ lying," Piper  _piped_ in. Hah, I am on a roll.

Nico and I exchanged glances once more.

"Should we actually tell them?" I questioned Nico.

Nico shrugged. "We should just leave them in the suspense for a few more minutes."

"Okay, that is not fair!" Leo wailed. "Just tell us already!"

I laughed. "Do you want to tell them, Nico?"

He frowned. "Whatever you want."

Everyone was staring so intently and expectantly at Nico as he took the time to form the correct words that would completely end the bet and declare whoever the winners were. I already knew that the winners were Jason, Annabeth, and Leo, but they didn't have to know that until Nico finished his sweet time making a sentence in his mind before he confirmed whoever was right.

When Nico finally voiced that we had gotten up to third base, an uproar erupted on Leo's side of the table.

* * *

It was night time now. Nico and I were just lounging around in his room. I was lying on his bed about to knock out because I was just so tired, but Nico was still up at his desk doing homework. Mrs. O'Leary was lying on the bed with me by my feet. She was getting a whole lot better with me. She didn't interrupt the make-up sessions that Nico and I had almost every day anymore.

"How do you do homework for so long?" I drawled tiredly, glancing at the clock which read 10:37 PM. "You've been doing homework for five hours now!"

Nico chuckled, spinning around in the black, leather office chair to have a better look at me. "I don't have ADHD unlike  _someone._ "

I frowned, sitting up from Nico's comfortable bed. "Come over here and take a break." I patted the spot between my legs, resulting in Nico rolling his eyes.

"I'm going to fall asleep the moment I touch that bed Percy," Nico retorted, leaning back in the office chair.

"Then I'll keep you awake." I patted the spot once again. "Just come over here; I've been on my phone for five hours while you did your homework, and it's dying." I held up my phone which now had, unfortunately, only four percent of battery life.

Nico shrugged with a smirk on his addicting lips. "Not my problem."

I groaned. "Just come over here for a little bit? I promise I'll keep you awake."

I pulled the best puppy dog eyes that I could make, and I knew I succeeded when Nico groaned, patting his knees once before standing up and walking over to where I sat in the middle of his bed.

I pulled him closer until he was practically straddling me. I rested my hands on his hips as he wrapped his arms around my neck.

I buried my nose into the crook of Nico's neck. "You know, you're bed is pretty comfortable."

Nico chuckled deeply, and the fact that he was so close to me ignited you-know-what.

"Really? Is that why Mrs. O'Leary is always up here?"

I smiled, glancing up slightly over Nico's shoulder to see Mrs. O'Leary glaring daggers at me. "Nah, she probably just wants to be wherever you go in this house 24/7. And I mean, who wants to lie down on the floor?"

"Apparently not Mrs. O'Leary," Nico said with a light laugh.

I gulped nervously, trying to ignore where all the blood was rushing to. Why did the simplest things of Nico like his laugh always seemed to turn me on whenever we were alone?

My hands tightened around Nico's waist when I felt him shift his position on me.

Nico chuckled. "Having trouble there, Perce? I was wondering why you became so quiet."

I gritted my teeth together. Oh, so he just  _had_ to bring the nicknames in, huh?

He pressed closer to me and a moan slipped out of my mouth. Damn those hormones.

I wrapped my arms around Nico, trying to regulate my heavy breathing. How did Nico have such a strong effect on me? It was so unfair. Did I affect Nico in the same way?

"I didn't think you were much of a teaser Neeks," I said breathlessly against the crook of Nico's neck.

Nico shrugged his shoulders. "I do it every now and then. Weren't you going in about how you were going to keep me awake? How were you going to do that exactly?"

I smirked. "I'm pretty sure you know  _exactly_ how I'm going to keep you awake."

"I don't think Mrs. O'Leary is going to like this," Nico taunted, tightening his hold around my neck. I guessed someone was also having some problems in the south.

I laughed. "Mrs. O'Leary can deal with it for today, right?"

Before Nico could even form a response, I pushed Nico until he was lying flat on his back on the mattress. I could see lust pooling endlessly in his dark brown orbs, and I had a feeling that my eyes looked exactly the same.

I crawled in between Nico's legs as I attached my lips onto his. Nico's hands fisted my hair as my tongue forced its way into Nico's warm cavern. I ran one of my hands through Nico's soft hair as my tongue massaged against his. Have I ever said that I was never getting over Nico's vanilla and pomegranate taste? Because I was never getting over it.

I tugged on the hem of Nico's shirt, pulling it over his head and onto the ground shortly after. My shirt followed suit, and I could faintly see Mrs. O'Leary challenging me to go farther in the corner of my eyes.

Challenge accepted, Mrs. O'Leary.

I slid my hands along Nico's torso as my kisses reached his jawline. Nico gasped and his back arched when I began to suck gently at the skin near his collarbone. Nico's hands adventured my back, sending hot waves of electricity through me at every touch.

My hands eventually reached his hips. My fingers fumbled with the button and zipper of his jeans before pulling them down along with his boxers. I was still kicking and sucking at Nico's jawline and collarbone which served as a temporary distraction for Nico. I didn't want him worrying about what I would do next.

In fact, I had no idea what to do next. But you know what television has been telling me these days?

Just do it.

And that was exactly what I was going to do.

I detached my lips from Nico's shoulder, and I admired all of the marks that I had succeeded in leaving on Nico. He was mine, and no one was going to forget that.

Our breathing was heavy as we stared at each other's eyes intensely. It was as if I wanted to continue with what Nico and I were doing, but I didn't want to stop looking at him.

I neared him until my forehead touched his, and our noses brushed against each other. My lips lightly touched his, and if I moved just a centimeter closer, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from kissing him.

"I love you, Nico," I whispered softly to him, staring lovingly into Nico's ask brown orbs. "You know that right?"

Nico nodded, running his hands through my hair. "I love you too, Percy."

I smiled against his lips. "Do you trust me on what I'm about to do now?" I could faintly hear Mrs. O'Leary's collar jingle as she jumped off the bed to trot off to who-knows-where. Was this my permission from her that I was allowed to go all the way or something?

I was going to take that as a  _yes_.

Nico nodded once more. "Yeah," he said breathlessly. "Just... try to go easy on me okay?"

My smile never faltered. "I know, Neeks," I pecked his lips softly before my hand started to trail slowly down from his hips.

Nico's breathing hitched as my hand wavered near the beginning of his manhood. My eyes flickered back up to Nico's eyes. He looked hesitant, nervous, but at the same time, he appeared to be determined. Nico was chewing on his bottom lip, but when he noticed my patient stare, he nodded.

My fingers dragged along the edge of his manhood. I had never imagined the day when I would be giving my own best friend a handjob, but here I was, giving my best friend a handjob. And I must say, I felt like I ruled the world.

Nico's bottom lip was released when he gasped at the unfamiliar feeling caused by my own fingers. I continued to stroke him slowly, and for some reason, Nico's nails clawing desperately against my back made me groan.

"P-Percy," Nico moaned when I swiped my thumb over the top of his penis.

I pushed my lips against his as I continued to stroke the base of his manhood. Our lips moved sensually against each other in such a pleasurable, ecstatic feeling.

"Move faster," Nico gasped halfway through our kiss. I smirked against his lips, kissing him eagerly.

"Whatever you say, Neeks."

I grasped the base of his penis with my hand, and I started pumping it. Nico's light gasps became louder moans the faster I pumped and the tighter I held it.

"Fuck, Percy." Nico three his head back against the bed as I continued to pump his penis rapidly.

At one point, Nico's breaths became so erratic and his sexual moans became so nonstop that I knew that he was close to the edge. I smirked to myself and my hand completely stilled.

Nico's breaths were beginning to slow down, but he still turned to glare at me.

"What was that for?" He asked sharply as I scanned his desk for anything that I could use as a lubricant.

I glanced at him in the corner of my eyes with a smirk. I leaned down until our foreheads made contact and whispered, "You aren't coming until I come inside of you."

I opened the nearest drawer to the bed and sure enough, it was the exact item I was looking for.

I quickly pulled my pants and boxers off, throwing them off the bed into some unimportant place in Nico's room. I uncapped the lubricant bottle and squeezed a considerable amount in the palm of my hand.

And when I meant considerable, I meant I had no idea what I was doing.

I rubbed it against my hardened member, and I hissed at the cool contact. I attempted to rub the lubricant event along my shaft before going to rub some of the lubricant along three of my fingers.

I went down to kiss Nico passionately. "Do you trust me?" I mumbled against his full, delicious lips. Oh, how badly I wanted to kiss him until there was no tomorrow.

Nico nodded with hesitation. "Go for it, Perce."

I smiled genuinely at him before pushing his legs farther apart and positioning my first finger near his entrance. Here goes nothing.

I pushed the first finger in, and Nico frowned. I couldn't even imagine how weird it must've felt.

I pressed my lips against Nico's as an attempt to distract him. Nico's hands ran through my messy black hair as I moved my finger around inside of him.

When I tried to add a second finger, Nico flinched underneath him. My chest hurt at the thought of intentionally hurting my Nico.

"Are you okay?" I questioned to make sure if Nico wanted to keep going.

"Yeah." Nico exhaled deeply. "I trust you, Percy."

"Good." I silenced him further with more passionate kisses as I pushed the second finger in deeper. Once it was fully in, I stopped to allow Nico to breathe a bit before he was ready to continue.

When he nodded, I bent down and ran my tongue along one of Nico's hardened nipples. He shuddered underneath me as my free hand went to reach for Nico's other bud. I slowly moved my two fingers inside of him up and down as I tried to distract him with the pleasurable feelings that I emitted from his nipples.

It was starting to work, so I moved my two fingers a bit more. My index finger brushed against something, and the longest moan that I ever heard that night erupted Nico's throat.

_I wonder what that was..._

I pressed my index finger against it once more, and Nico moaned loudly. I was starting to like whatever that sweet spot of his was.

I rubbed the spot mercilessly, and Nico's back arched as moan after moan followed one another. Nico began to tug at my hair incessantly as my two fingers scissored inside his entrance.

I quickly added a third finger while rubbing that spot of his to numb the pain. Nico gasped and shook underneath me as I thrust in three of my fingers. Nico began to push against my fingers every time I thrust them in, and he tightened around me as he groaned.

I pulled my fingers out before Nico could complain about the sudden loss of contact, I pushed my own member in slowly. Nico's grip on my hair tightened as I tried to fully be inside of him.

"Well, aren't you big," Nico remarked breathlessly.

I smirked. "I truly try, Neeks."

Before Nico could say anything, I pulled my manhood out him until only the tip was inside of him before slamming back into him. Nico and I moaned loud enough to have woken up the neighbors.

Nico hummed huskily. "Keep doing that."

And I obliged. It was a slow pace at first, but I started for thrust into him at a faster rate. Nico pushed himself against my penis every time I thruster into him, and I had never felt so much pleasure in a single action. I started to fuck him faster, and then bed rocked underneath us.

Nico wrapped is legs around my hips as I continued to push into him. His head was thrown back into the pillow as a string of moans came from him. I couldn't control the moans that were coming out of me either.

I reached a hand down to grasp Nico's penis before pumping it like there was no tomorrow. Nico's moans and gasps became a higher pitch, and his legs around my waist tightened he pushed desperately against me.

A warm feeling was building in the pit of my stomach as beads of sweat began to form on my forehead. I continued to pump into Nico rapidly, and once I hit Nico's sweet spot once more, I knew Nico was about to be sent over the edge.

"Come for me Nico," I commanded him with no breath in my lungs whatsoever. Immediately after that, Nico had cried my name at the top of his lungs before releasing himself all over my hand and our stomachs.

I didn't last very long after that. Nico had tightened around my member when he came, and it resulted in me coming deep inside of him. I thrust my hips a bit more before pulling out of him and collapsing beside him on the bed.

Nico turned his head to look at me as I caressed his cheek with one hand. I placed it near the nape of his neck as I pushed him closer to me.

I kissed him softly, and Nico returned the kiss soon after. We were like that for awhile as Nico and I kissed passionately and sensually.

When we finally parted for breath, I muttered, "I really love you, Nico. Those words enough don't even express how much I love you."

Nico smiled, running his hand through my hair. "I really love you to Percy. No words can describe my love for you."

I chuckled, kissing him another time before parting shortly after.

"How has that story that you've been writing going so far?" I decided to ask as I made invisible circles with my thumb in Nico's cheek.

Nico hummed. "I say I'm about done now."

I smiled. "Did you give your main character a good ending? The story's name was called  _Depression_ after all, so it sounds like a sad story."

Nico shook his head. "It gets happier toward the end. The main character gets a good ending."

I closed my eyes and exhaled lightly. "That's good. I hate stories with bad endings."

Nico chuckled deeply. "I do too. No one would ever want a bad ending."

I scoffed, but a smile still graced my features. "Who would?" After a short silence between us, I managed to say a good night to Nico before I completely fell asleep.

"Sweet dreams, Perce," Nico whispered to me before my consciousness faded away.

* * *

_**Fin.** _


End file.
